Tis the season…for getting sick! At least it seems this way at the library, where kids, parents, teachers and staff seem to be passing along colds in a perpetual loop. So, if you or your little one find yourself with the sniffles this season, put those clogged nasal passages to use by reading Bob, Not Bob!
This adorable story by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick introduces us to Little Louie, who is actually not “all that little,” and certainly does not need his mom like he used to. Except when he’s sick, that is. When he finds himself with a clogged up nose, crackly ears a brain that feels “full,” he promptly calls out for Mom! But, if you follow the book’s instructions to read aloud “as though you have the worst cold ever,” the “Moms” comes out as “Bobs”…which wouldn’t be so problematic…if it weren’t Louie’s dog’s name.
And the antics begin, with Louie desperately calling for “Bob, not Bob!” and his slobbering dog overeagerly at the ready. By the end of the book, Louie has gotten Mom’s attention, in the form of soup and snuggles, which of course leads to Mom catching a cold of her own.
It’s a charming and playful little story and kids will love hearing their grown up attempt a super-stuffy sick Louie voice (and will probably want to try it out themselves!). Readers are also sure to love Matthew Cordell‘s squiggly, lively illustrations, which are reminiscent of Quentin Blake‘s illustrations for Roald Dahl‘s books.
To accompany this read, I suggest you make…Honey Lemon Ginger Cookies! I love tea as much as the next guy–especially when sick–but I’d rather take my lemon, honey and ginger in the form of baked goods any day. I used this great recipe for Honey Lemon Cookies found on Food.com, and simply added one tablespoon of ground ginger to achieve the cold-conquering flavor trifecta. I also rolled the dough into little balls and flattened each a bit on the pan (rather than doing these as drop cookies), and only kept them in the oven for about 6 minutes.
Kids will have a lot of fun squeezing the massive amount of honey into the bowl (and it will give their hand muscles a work-out! Talk about gross motor skills…) and watching how much powdered sugar can be dissolved into a relatively small amount of liquid when making the icing.
Once your cookies are done, snuggle up with them and Bob, Not Bob! and you’re sure to feel better in no time. (And if your library copy happens to smell of lemon, my apologies. The grating and drizzling got a bit messy!)
