Bob's Best Ever Friend

The sequel to Man on the Moon (a day in the life of Bob), re-issued by Templar to celebrate 15 years of Bob! Knowing and loving 'Man on the Moon' we expected 'Bob's best Ever Friend' to be great but was a little apprehensive it may not live up to expectations. So pleasantly surprised, this picture book was just as witty and delightful. Bob, the man on the Moon, is feeling lonely. He has completed all of his daily tasks maintaining the Moon, there are no tourists visiting today and his friends Billy and Sam are off exploring Pluto in the hope to see alien animals. Most upsetting of all is that Bob has no-one, no best-ever friends to bounce on his bouncy castle with. Feeling a little glum, Bob goes about his normal day, all the while hoping he might find the one, a best-ever best friend. Little does he know that the perfect chum for Bob would instead find him! The illustrations are great, vivid, full of character and with so much to see, every time we read this book we spot something new. The illustrations work as a story by themselves following the journey of Bob's canine friend and his alien antics, so there is lots for the children to infer from the pictures alone. Again, Bob works as a stimulus for lots of great writing activities. Fantastic to use as a focus on writing character descriptions, children could design and describe their own alien animals that may be available in the 'Cats, Rats N Bats' pet shop. Children could write their own advert in role as Bob - Man on the Moon looking for his best-ever friend including descriptions of the qualities he is after, linking perfectly to discussions with the children about what makes a good friend, how can we be a good friend to someone in our class? Picture book / Ages 4-8 years / Reviewed by Nikki Stiles, teacher.

Suggested Reading Age 5+

A truly heart-warming story that all readers - children and adults alike - will be thrilled to read this wonderful tale. This story is a companion to 'Man on the Moon - a day in the life of Bob' (both newly re-issued by Templar) and the stories are purely delightful to read. The illustrations are beautiful and, although of an older style, they replicate more like art than illustrations in a children's picture book. Each page has something different to spot and you will find yourself noticing something different each time you read the story. The narrative tells the tale of Bob, the man who works and maintains the Moon. It is Bob's job to ensure the moon is clean and tidy for moon visitors and entertain any who stop to visit the moon. But, in this story, Bob has realised that he is in fact very lonely - a thought that comes upon him as he watches television alone and he wishes he had someone to watch it with. It then becomes his mission to find himself a 'best friend'. Personally, I love the moral of the story and the elements of 'companionship' and 'friendship' I could discuss with my children. The narrative is beautiful with some challenging words for more advanced readers but easily accessible enough for a younger audience. Children cannot seem to get enough of Bob and I think this is due to the straight forward narrative and the game of finding the aliens on each page. Although Bob is a Moon expert, the children find it hilarious that he doesn't know aliens are all around him as he goes about his daily work. The ending of the story is a lovely talking point - that we find friendship in the most unusual ways, shapes and sizes. Read to my children frequently, I have yet to tire reading Bob and we have lots of fun counting and spotting all the different aliens and the dog throughout the story. I would highly recommend this book, it has an old fashioned values feel to it and that it what makes it unique. Picture book / Ages 3-7 years / Reviewed by Joanne Hewish, teacher.

Suggested Reading Age 5+