99. Up On Bob

Up On Bob. Mary Sullivan. Illustrated by Mary Sullivan. 2020. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

 

First sentence: This is Bob. Up on the bed Bob has work to do. The work is hard. But Bob does not mind. Bob likes hard work. Hard work pays off.

Premise/plot: Bob, the dog, has a plan. A good plan, I might add. A plan that involves NAPPING in a bed. (Looks like a child's bed since it has a LOT of toys--hence his "hard work" in the opening sentences in clearing off his napping place.) But Bob's plans might be thwarted...by the cat! Bob calls the cat 'Someone' and that Someone also has a plan--a good plan for how to spend the day.

 My thoughts:  I really loved this one. Sullivan's story is simple--whether deceptively so or not--and hilarious. None of the sentences are complex. My guess is that it would be good for new readers or even pre-readers. (I do think that you get a good idea of the story based on reading the illustrations.) I love, love, love the repetition--the similarity between Bob's good plan and Someone's good plan. I also like the moral of the story--that sometimes life's unexpected "problems" or "obstacles" lead to something better than the original plan. I say the story has a moral, but, to clarify it isn't a preachy message. Readers have to conclude that for themselves.

 Text: 5 out of 5

Illustrations: 5 out of 5

Total: 10 out of 10

 

© 2020 Becky Laney of Young Readers