Poor Bobo! There’s something hiding under this little monster’s bed. His brother, Buster, says Bobo is just a fraidy-cat. But it’s hard to blame Bobo for being scared. Why, even Godzilla himself would be frightened if there was a boy with pink skin and a head of orange fur hiding under his bed. Especially when he begins that scritch-scratch-skittering noise! Luckily for Bobo, his grandpa, Boo-Dad, knows all about fearful creatures like boys. Boo-Dad plops Bobo and Buster down on his big old monster knees and tells the young monsters a story about the olden days and his encounter with a very frightening girl. Armed with advice from Boo-Dad, and courage of his own, Bobo determines that the time has come to take matters into his own hands or rather, paws. Sticking his horned head under the bed, he calls out, “Hey, Boy! I’m Bobo! You new round here?” The results are sure to delight readers of all ages.
In Jitterbug Jam, first-time author Barbara Jean Hicks has taken the theme of bedtime anxiety and created a warm, funny book with colorful characters. Kids will fall in love with Bobo, especially when he’s curled up in his little red monster pajamas, clutching a toy dragon. Illustrator Alexis Deacon, who lives in London, also created the artwork for Beegu, a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year. Her artwork includes the use of panels, comic-book sequences and a dramatic double-page spread of the moment when Bobo finally confronts that orange-haired boy. Jitterbug Jam is a bedtime tale to amuse and delight readers young and old! Deborah Hopkinson’s picture book, Apples to Oregon, was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2004.
