Review: Bob, Not Bob by Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick & Matthew Cordell

LLittle Louie is sick. His nose is stuffy and all he wants is his mom. He yells for his mom, but with his stuffiness it sounds like he is yelling “Bob!” Every time he yells, his dog Bob comes running and confusion is at an all time high with his sister struggling to understand him. This book helps to normalize the feeling of just wanting your mom. It uses humor to show that it is okay to not want to do anything and to just want your mom to comfort you. Even if you don’t always need your mom when you are feeling better, it is awfully nice when she is around. This book also pictures a black  family in the normal, everyday context of having a cold/being ill. The illustrations of this book matches the mood of the story perfectly and add a lot of feeling. The use of humor throughout this book makes it great for the young reader who is ill and wants their mom.

Resources:

This website gives lots of information about this book, it also includes teaching lessons and author interviews! https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=55632

Book-based teaching activities to use along with this book. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bob-Not-Bob-Activities-Lesson-Plans-Discussion-Questions-Writing-Worksheets-5133659?st=36e84bccd4b4f8179750e8f24b5ac3ac

Review: I’m Worried by Michael Black & Debbie Ridpath Ohi

In this New York Times Bestseller; potato is worried! He’s not worried about just one thing, no, he is worried about anything and everything. He looks to his friends (a flamingo and a young girl) to tell him that nothing bad will happen, but they do not provide him with the support he anticipated. The three of them must work through the worry and understand that being worried is okay. Together, they learn that something good comes out of everything. In the end, Potato and Flamingo make a very silly decision out of fear. This book does a wonderful job of depicting the emotion of worry. It does not shy away from how scary a worry may be and accepts that it is okay to be worried. This is a great book for the reader who may be struggling with anxiety or excessive worrying. The use of potatoes and flamingos, along with the short sentence structure makes this book entertaining and easy to read.

Resources:

An interview where Michael Ian Black talks about why he felt the importance to writing this book: https://www.today.com/video/michael-ian-black-chats-about-his-children-s-book-i-m-worried-60493893889

A read aloud by Michael Ian Black.

Review: A Sick Day For Amos McGee by Philip & Erin Stead

This Caldecott award winning book about Amos McGee depicts his sick day. Amos is a zookeeper who always makes time to visit his animal friends as he partakes in different activities with them. One day, Amos is too sick to go to work. His animal friends miss him as they wonder what happened they go to return all of his friendly favors. This book uses animals to depict the support of loved ones during a period of illness. This technique is especially effective for young children. This story also helps those who may not be able to participate in their normal activities not to feel ashamed for having to acknowledge their new limitations. It also provides an easy way for those children who may have a friend or loved one that is ill, better understand that they may have new limitations, but they are still the same friend. The illustrations are beautiful, and it is a simple story to be adored by many. This book is great for the reader who is sick and needs extra support from loved ones due to their illness. 

If you like this book you might like:

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster

The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pickney