How to Be a Cat (2013) - Nikki McClure

Nikki McClure’s How to Be a Cat only features three colors – black, white, and blue – but it makes effective use of those colors. Most of the artwork covers a two-page spread with only one word of text, words like “stretch,” “explore,” “tumble,” “lick”… You get the picture.

The book allows for a good bit of audience participation by imitating what the cats are doing. There’s really no story, just a sequence of words/actions, but who cares? I wouldn’t use How to Be a Cat for a large group, but for just a few kids (and those on the younger side), it might be a good filler book.   

Storytelling  1
Color Attractiveness  3
Size of Book  4
Text Size  5
Illustrations 4
Participation Potential  4
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3.5

I Must Have Bobo (2011) - Eileen Rosenthal, Marc Rosenthal

I Must Have Bobo (2011) by Eileen Rosenthal and Marc Rosenthal is a cute, fun book about a boy named Willy who has trouble keeping up with his favorite toy, a sock monkey named Bobo. This trouble is due to the fact that Willy's cat Earl like Bobo too.

Unfortunately, the book and its text size are just too small for large storytime groups. The main characters are colorful, but little else is. There's really not much potential for audience participation, other than asking the kids where Bobo went. I Must Have Bobo would probably work great as a one-on-one book, but is not recommended for large storytime programs.  

Storytelling  3
Color Attractiveness  3
Size of Book  2
Text Size  2
Illustrations  3
Participation Potential  1
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime  2