The One and Only Bob
Recommended Ages: 8-11
While this book is the 2nd in a series, it is the only one from this series that I plan to do.
The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate is book two of a series that begins with The One and Only Ivan. This book is from Bob’s perspective, a dog, and not long after the end of The One and Only Ivan. Ruby and Ivan are settled into their new homes in the zoo and Bob lives with Julia and George. The catalyst of this book is an impending hurricane and simply experiencing a moment in time from the life of Bob as he learns to appreciate his new life and let go of his anger from being abandoned as a pup.
The story opens with Bob laying the scene of his life thus far and then Julia and George head to the zoo to check on the preparations before the hurricane hits. Unfortunately, events take place while they are there. Bob ends up in a bit of a tornado, and as he is searching for his friends, he ends up finding his sister and rescues his nephew. The story ends with all the main characters safe, the nephew now living with Bob, and the expectation that his sister is at the door.
A cute aspect of the story is the fact that it is told from Bob’s perspective, so the funny ideas and thoughts about life from a dog’s perspective are present. On page 41, for example, Bob details all the great things dogs can do because of their sense of smell. “We get things humans can’t even dream of getting. We’re the ones who find the miracle earthquake baby cuddled in her crib under tons of rubble. We’re the ones who find lost hikers in the wilderness after a quick whiff of a sweaty sock…”
Items of mention or notation:
There is a joke on page 68 about hurricanes being named after women and Julia calls it “sexist.”
On page 78-79 there is an encounter with Droolius who unfortunately is an abused animal. There are mentions of him being “Chained up mostly. Flies on his food. Empty water bowl way too often.”
Bob’s internal struggle in the book, “Why should I forgive the humans who tossed me and my siblings out into the night? When you forgive, you lose your anger, and when you lose your anger, you get weak” (82). Additionally, Bob states on page 89, “You need someone, eventually they let you down and you end up feeling like a real doofus.”
There is a reference on page 90 to the different types of families Bob notices. “Families, I’ve noticed, take a lot of different shapes. Jim and Joe, the penguins, adopted an abandoned egg, and they are the sweetest doting parents you ever saw. I see it with humans at the park, too. Families of all shapes and sizes and colors and genders and yep, they all seem to do just fine.” As you can see, there is a very subtle mention of homosexual couples raising children that is presented in a positive light for all the different types of families out there. This is mentioned again later on page 115 when Bob asks Joe and Jim if Bert is okay from the tornado.
Ivan has a female gorilla that he is presumed to be with. Bob mentions the smell of love when Kinyani and Ivan are together (page 112).
Bob struggles with trying to be the dog he wants everyone to think he is. “I hate that I’m not the guy my friends think I am. The guy the world expects. I keep waiting for things to go bad on me. Worrying that my nice, tidy little dog life will blow up in my face” (113).
A positive quote is when Bob is thinking back on his time with Ivan. He states, “When you’ve been through the worst with someone, you appreciate the best” (116).
On page 231, Bob is remembering his past and what happened to him and his siblings. He mentions that all of them died, except for himself and he thinks possibly his sister as well, but he didn’t try to save her. He has guilt about it.
There is a mention on page 244 that the hurricane is a product of climate change.
Towards the end of the book, a poodle named Snickers confesses her love for Bob (269).
Overall, this novel could almost have been a cute addition for reading material for readers 8-11; however, the subtle inclusion of homosexual penguins as a family to speak to a greater idea of human families about is what puts this in the no category for me. Such subtle additions to the story are certainly unnecessary. I’m not sure if that was an editor’s choice or Applegate, but I’m disappointed to see that, especially since The One and Only Ivan received a lot of publicity. Of course, one option as a parent, if you owned a personal copy, is that you could always blot out that portion of the story if you wished to do so.
