Mr. Bob's Magic Ride in the Sky - Hardcover

Johnston, Karen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552853934 ISBN 13: 9781552853931

Publisher: Walrus Books, 2002

Synopsis

You don't have to call him Mr. Bob, some people just call him Bob the Dog. But no matter what you call him, you'll want to join him in his magical ride in the sky. Mr. Bob loves to spend his days watching the world around him. He loves to wonder what it must be like to be one of the other animals that he sees and how the world must look to them. One day, Mr. Bob makes some new winged friends who carry him into the sky to see what the world around him looks like from up above. Young readers will love this sweet tale about he amazingly detailed pencil illustrations that accompany it.

About this title

About the Author

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Karen Johnston attended the Ontario College of Art before becoming a graphic artist and art director. When she became a stay-at-home mother, she dreamed of writing and illustrating a children's book. When she is not drawing, she creates mosaic frames and clocks. She has lived in Nova Scotia for the past six years but has recently moved back to Ontario. Karen loves taking long walks with her husband Doug, daughters, and her two Viszlas, Bob and Rita.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Black-and-white pencil illustrations occasionally backed by a photo of a blue sky and puffy clouds are the strong point of this fantasy. "Bob the Dog to some, Mr. Bob to others" (but readers are not told why or by whom) at times envisions himself driving a car or living the life of a cow, but mostly he wishes he could fly. When confronted by a committee of birds who ask why he always stares at them, the hound expresses his desire, and the birds combine efforts with hundreds of others to transport him aloft and fulfill his dream. Johnston's text at times lacks variety ("thrilled" and "thrilling" appear on the same page) and logic ("the birds gently clutched Bob's body with their beaks"). Other disappointments are that readers are limited to Bob's view from the sky, rather than seeing him in flight, and that the "hundreds of other birds of all shapes and sizes and colors" are all depicted as seagulls. The animal portraits and aerial landscapes are dazzling, but the book remains unbalanced in quality.
Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Walrus Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1552853934
• ISBN 13: 9781552853931
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32