The One and Only Bob

My daughter loves reading, and she asked me for this book. It's very cute and a good book for children. She reads it every night. It's a good book.

A three book series my grandchildren, absolutely love the stories according to her dad.

A heartwarming story with so many life lessons for children and adolescents. An edge of your seat adventure but also clean and family friendly.

(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.

My son loves this series, he is 8 and going into 4th grade. This is a great read for him alone and also together as a family. This whole series is one for the whole family to enjoy. This is also a great read for a classroom teacher. You really feel for the characters and can envision perfectly through the details of what it is like for each character.

Kids liked it but not enough to read twice

You heard Ivan, a gorilla, tell his story in "The One and Only Ivan". Now Ivan’s best bud Bob, a dog, tells his story in this sequel to Ivan, "The One and Only Bob". Katherine Applegate's searing writing style is back, and she is just as penetrating. It's a four-part book, with part one providing the introduction to Bob's start and the story's connection to Ivan, Stella, and Ruby. She quickly gets at human responsibility when it comes to animal treatment, which makes both of these books so ever convicting. At one point Bob says, “humans meant the possibility of living, just as much as they meant the possibility of dying.” Part two introduces new characters named Nutwit, a squirrel near his home, and a fellow dog named Droolius. Bob describes his present life as a pet and the changes from his life as a stray. Not gonna lie, when Julia takes Bob to the zoo, my heart did a little dance with the first interactions between Bob and Ivan and then Bob and Ruby. It speaks to my love for “The One and Only Ivan”. I realized after years of teaching this book to elementary students, I longed for more interaction between Bob, Ivan (along with Kinyani), and Ruby. “The One and Only Bob” provides this satisfaction. But things are different, as they always are with the passing of time. And then the weather turns… Part three sees Bob in the hound pound and at the same time taking the reader into the inner struggles of Bob, a seemingly tough guy with an ever-softening heart. It also asks of humans, how will you respond to animals, any animals? With kindness? Brutality? Part four rounds back to 1249 Hinman Ave. and begs the question, “Is Ruby up next?”

This is shows empathy more than self reliance. Well, it shows more self reliance and empty. It shows the same amount so it’s a really great story 10 out of 10.