The One and Only Bob

I bought this book as a follow up to The One and Only Ivan. I LOVED it!!! I am a teacher and my my students felt even more connected to Bob.

I've slowly been making my way through a long list of books recommended to me by a librarian friend of mine. Next on the list was the Newberry Award winning novel, "The One and Only Ivan", which was a heart-wrenching tale told from the perspective of a gorilla, and his journey from the jungle, to the main attraction at a roadside mall, and his quest to find a better life for himself and his animal friends. After loving the first novel, I was excited to find out that a sequel had been written, telling the further adventures of Ivan's dog friend, Bob. And in my opinion, it's even better than the first story.Picking up a little while after the events of "The One and Only Ivan", former stray dog, Bob, has been enjoying his new home life with George and Julia--the humans who helped to free Ivan the gorilla and Ruby the elephant from the former mall they were living in. But even having a stable home life has its set of challenges, especially for someone who lived a dangerous life on the streets for so long. Though Bob enjoys Julia's company and loving care, he misses having the freedom to do whatever he wants, as well as living with the constant fear that, at any moment, he could be abandoned again. But when the town is hit by a hurricane, destroying the zoo, sending all its animals on the loose, and causing Bob to become separated from Julia, this once-stray dog will have to find it within himself to have faith in the humans he's distrusted for so long to save the day. And when fate reunites him with his long lost sister, Bob just might come to appreciate how lucky and brave he truly is.The author does a great job of getting into the heads of various animals, and explaining their experiences and feelings in a way that humans will understand. It was neat seeing and hearing things from a dog's perspective; how they're able to learn information just by certain sounds and smells, and how they're more attuned to their surroundings than humans. They each have their own rules for how they behave and why, making humans seem like the strange ones by comparison. In particular, how dogs don't discriminate between other dogs, the way humans do with each other. All of these different stories and experiences from each of the characters paints a detailed picture of humans and how complicated, confusing, and contradictory we can be, especially from an animal's perspective.Though we get to see how Ivan and Ruby have been doing since the first book, this is obviously primarily Bob's story, and it's not always a joyful read. Unlike the kind, friendly, and quiet Ivan, Bob has a distinctly different voice. He's blunt, he's pessimistic, and carries a "survival of the fittest" attitude, which is easy to understand, considering all the hardship he's gone through while living on the streets. He tries to maintain as much independence as he can, and keep his "tough guy" attitude, as he doesn't want to become "soft", as he knows firsthand how humans can go from kind to cruel at the drop of a hat. I find it interesting that, while the first novel centered around a domesticated animal learning how to unleash his wilder side, this sequel flips the script and has a stray "wild" animal adjusting to be domesticated. Compared to the first book, this one has a lot more action in it, especially when the zoo is devastated by a hurricane, forcing Bob to take charge and learn how to care for others when both human and animal have to work together to pick up the pieces. And in doing so, Bob just might finally learn when to have more faith in humanity again.This is a heartfelt and heart-wrenching story of the mistreatment of animals, both intentionally and unintentionally, as well as how the actions of kind people can change an animal's life for the better. A rare case of a sequel being just as good or, arguably, even better than the original, with a lesson in learning how to forgive others, which begins by forgiving yourself, especially for things that are out of your control.

Good

I like the series so it is good

(reviewed by a 9 year old)“The One and Only Bob” by Katherine Applegate is about a dog named Bob who goes with his owner Julia to the zoo to visit his best friends, Ruby and Ivan. But when he gets there, a bad storm hits, and he gets separated from Julia, Ivan, and Ruby! He eventually gets through it and finds Ivan and Ruby, but then he hears his long-lost sister Boss’s bark and runs off. But he gets through all that and ends up safely back at home. Then Boss knocks on the door, and Bob and Boss are together again!I thought it was a really fun and good story. I loved how I could hear what Bob thought about everything – not from the background but from Bob’s own perspective.I recommend this book because of the exciting story, and how it’s written in Bob’s perspective. It’s a great way to have fun when you’re bored and tired. I think many people should read it and feel the awesomeness of the book.

I do not believe that Kimu was really trying to eat Rowdy, given that he had just saved both him and Bob from drowning. Bob did not even thank him.

There are so many great messages in this book! It’s sad and inspiring all at the same time. Although it’s written for kids (my 9-year-old granddaughter introduced me to the book), adults will enjoy it too!

Our daughter read the book the one and only Ivan, and asked for this book for Christmas because she loved the other book so much. Great for a younger reader.

Brilliant follow up to The one and only Ivan.Bob is the real hero of this story, after a tornado sweeps through the Zoo where his friends are, Bob helps to save the day.

I bought this book online and I can't put it down!! If you fell in love with Ivan in the previous book as I did, you're going to love this one!!

Follow on from one and only Ivan. Easy read

Great writing, my grandson loves this!

An apt sequel to one of the best books in children's literature.... The one and only Ivan. Its a book which even adults can enjoy. Though it's a tough act to better one and only Ivan.,this one does manage to keep one engrossed. Compassion, love, camaraderie and friendship... All values absolutely necessary today are shown so beautifully just like in Ivan's book. Another gem from Katherine Applegate, not to be missed