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Jitterbug jam ISBN: 9780091884987
Deacon, Alexis and Hicks, Barbara Jean
Published by Hutchinson, 2004
This is wonderfully weird and completely enchanting at the same time. Little monster Bobo is not a fraidy-cat like his brother says, but even the bravest monster would be scared of the boy who sometimes hides under his bed. When he tells Grampa Boo-Dad about the boy, Boo-Dad knows just what to do: 'You give him a great big toothy grin, and you say...Hey, Boy! I'm Bobo! You new round here?' This is supposed to scare the boy silly, but instead, Boy tells Bobo to 'turn off that grin' and they end up under the bed together, hiding from Boy's brother. While the story is about fear, the main theme is learning tolerance of those who are different, whether they be boys or monsters, and Bobo plans to give Boy some bread and jitterbug jam and try to make friends. The illustrations are bizarre, as befits a story about monsters - full of creamy, old-fashioned colour - and the writing style is a mix of American slang and present tense immediacy. Super!
Age: 5+