BOB

Bob the rooster is going through an identity crisis in Pearson’s (G-Rex, 2000, etc.) clever barnyard tale that combines subtle humor with colorful watercolor illustrations and lively rough-line drawings. Bob happily clucks along with his chicken coopmates until Henrietta, a cat, tells him frankly, “You need to stop clucking and learn how to crow so you can wake up the girls every morning. That’s what roosters do.” Bob, taking Henrietta’s advice and a newfound ability to meow, sets off from the chicken coop to find a rooster who can teach him to crow properly. Along the way, Bob learns how to woof and wag from a dog, ribbet and hop from frogs, and moo and eat bugs from cows. A comical scenario unfolds when, as Bob is walking through the trees at night, “a stranger called out, ‘Whoo? Whoo? Whoo?’ Not wanting to be rude, Bob whispered, ‘Bob, Bob, Bob’ . . . and so it went all night long, over and over again.” Finally, Fred the rooster is able to teach Bob how to crow, and Bob returns triumphant to the chicken coop. But the story is not over yet. A fox decides to disturb the peaceful scene, and Bob’s menagerie of acquired animal sounds, dancing in waves across the page, is the only thing to scare the hungry predator away. From the blooming yellow and orange day lilies and cattails to Bob’s striking black-and-white plumage, Pearson has added her unique whimsical touch to the pastoral beauty of the countryside. A lighthearted, wonderfully illustrated story. (Picture book. 3-6)