Chez Bob

Chez Bob

Product Description From the hilarious author of Who Wet My Pants?, Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great, and the Dinosaur Vs. series comes a kid-pleasing read-aloud about a devious alligator who learns to love! Welcome to Chez Bob, which seems like a real restaurant...until you realize...it's on an alligator's NOSE! Bob's got a hidden plan for his customers: "Birds will come to eat, but I will eat the birds!" As they fly in from all over the world to dine on Bob's face, something starts to happen that takes the lazy, hungry reptile by surprise -- the birds stay. "More yummy birds!" he rejoices -- he'll want for nothing! But when the time is right, will Bob make the right choice? Comic genius Bob Shea cooks up a tasty tale that proves anyone, even hungry alligators, can have a change of heart and learn to be a good friend. From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 2-This quirky tale of a nefarious plan gone wrong follows Bob, a proudly lazy alligator who devises an elaborate scheme to lure his meals to him instead of hunting. He builds a birdseed restaurant on his snout to attract birds, making it a snap to gobble them up. However, when the first customer arrives, Bob realizes it would be prudent to allow the bird to fly free and spread the word about "Chez Bob," thereby attracting even more potential snacks with ease. Despite his worst intentions, Bob becomes unwittingly attached to his trusting new companions and the lively community they form around him. He joins a book club and coaches the basketball team, but will he actually make a meal of his feathered friends? The suspense is drawn out until the very end. Young readers will delight in this tale of a flawed protagonist and will cheer for his eventual change of heart. Witty prose and dialogue invite dramatization, making for a fabulously fun read-aloud, while Shea's signature bold, colorful, stylized illustrations serve up a visual feast. Surprisingly touching themes of friendship and caring underpin the narrative's zany humor. Readers will come away giggling but will also retain a renewed sense of the importance of kindness and belonging. VERDICT Laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, and a surefire hit for story time. Bob Shea fans will rejoice.-Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Lib., CAa(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Review "Chez Bob is beyond glorious. Seriously: It