Walker Leon And Bob

Bob is Leon's best friend. He shares Leon's room. Everywhere Leon goes, Bob goes too. Then one day a boy moves in next door. But when Leon goes to ask his new neighbour to go to the park with him, he discovers Bob has gone... Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2. Leon's father is away in the army, but the boy seems to be doing just fine with his new invisible friend, Bob. Just as he did in Dear Mr. Blueberry (S & S, 1991), James captures the wonderful qualities and imagination of a child. The simple text and comic illustrations reveal a sweet boy who misses his father but compensates for his loss by sharing his days with Bob. Especially delightful are the watercolor-and-ink illustrations, with their understated touches: clothing hanging out of a drawer, a soccer ball that appears in many of the pictures, and his father's letter tucked into bed beside Leon. The elongated doors, windows, steps, and a huge bed are funny but evoke a feeling of loneliness. However, the ending is upbeat as a new family moves in and Leon meets a "real" boy named Bob. All in all, a good choice for any picture-book collection.?Mary M. Hopf, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist Ages 4^-6. His father is in the army, so Leon and his mother have moved to a new neighborhood, an event made better by the presence of his imaginary friend, Bob. Bob is with Leon at home and at school. Leon likes to read his father's letters over and over, and Bob likes to hear them again and again. One day, Leon notices that a new family with a son his age has moved in next door. Leon has to work up his courage to go over but feels he can do it as long as Bob is at his side, but as he climbs the stairs, Leon realizes Bob is gone. Nevertheless, Leon manages to knock on the door, and the boy who answers it seems ready to be his friend--a boy named Bob. Simple, elemental, yet full of heart, the story, remarkably, captures a character who isn't there and makes readers see him just as Leon does. James' watercolor-and-ink pictures are displayed in a long, lean format that accents Leon's small size in his big world. However, the last scene, a double-page spread, widens that world, showing Leon and Bob playing soccer in the park. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.