Tall

Bobo

by Jez Alborough

"A must-have title for any children who have ever felt less than enchanted with their diminutive status." - SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

When you’re a tiny chimp like Bobo, it seems that everyone else is bigger than you. Luckily, Bobo’s pals let him climb on their shoulders to give him a taste of being tall, but what if the little guy clambers too high? In this tale of very few words — and very big heart — Jez Alborough turns a moment of high anxiety into a Mommy-and-Bobo reunion.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Mathematics, Juvenile, Kids

34 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jez is the author and illustrator of 48 books for children. In 2018 he published The Story of 'You' his first book for adults, the first in a series called Life Beyond Personality. He says: "We enter this world as pure Oneness, (what I call our ‘original state of Being’) but we lose this as we become identified with our Personality. In that identification, the Stillness and Love of our Original State is overshadowed by the suffering of the Personality.

"Our Personality creates its own dream from the deep-seated beliefs and emotions it harbours; a dream that can be full of emotional distress, over-thinking and the constant investment in a future which never quite delivers on the belief: ‘When I get this I’ll be happy.’ The Story of ‘You’ suggests it’s possible to wake up out of that dream. When that happens, a whole new adventure begins in a life beyond the Personality."

The Infinite Journey, the second Book in the series, is published in early 2019.


Children's Books

His Eddy and the Bear trilogy (which began with the much-loved Where's My Teddy in 1992) has sold nearly four and a half million copies and was made into an BAFTA award-winning animated television series.

Duck in the Truck (published in 1999) heralded the start of another bestselling series, this time featuring the irrepressible Duck and his three friends - Frog, Goat and Sheep. There are currently nine books in the Duck series and almost than 1.5 million copies have been sold.

In 2000 Jez created Hug - a powerful and touching book of only three words about a baby chimpanzee called Bobo who loses his Mom. Oprah Winfrey raved about it on her show when she chose it for her recommended reading list while Richard Curtis (the writer and director of Four Weddings and a Funeral) selected it as one of his ‘Best Books’, calling it ‘classic family drama which holds up well next to Jez’s other masterpieces.’ Bobo went on to star in thee more classics; Tall ( which along with Hug won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award) Yes and Play. The series has sold almost 3 million copies.

Jez lives in West London. You can read more about his books for children in the JezAlborough.com library and about The Story of 'You' at LifeBeyondPersonality.com.

Jez's Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/jezalborough and you can follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jezalborough

Reviews

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little chimp wants to be tall and keeps getting higher & higher, until he falls. I had a small, young crowd, but several were taken with the pictures of the animals. 8/15/12

Used again this year for my monkey lap time. 7/31/14

Chosen in PJ Story Time and used with a Monkey Puppet with real success (started with the puppet on the floor, moved to knee for stone, shoulders, & head.) and again for Lap Time. 7/21/14

Forgot to use the puppet and this didn't go over as well without it as the last book.

Forgot to use the puppet, though it went over well. (Need to remember to check my reviews for notes to myself)

Forgot to use puppet again but used in Baby/Toddler and Family Story Time

[Abby Hargreaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tall finds a small monkey, Bobo, comparing his height to that of his jungle friends and getting rides from them to feel tall. Bobo quickly discovers the benefit of being small, however, when he falls. Featuring a grand total of five words, this is an excellent book for infants and toddlers that also includes bright and friendly illustrations. Heavily relying on images to tell the story, each image is decently large so a small-audience storytime presentation might be possible.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect picture book for the beginning reader. Charming illustrations propel the story with a minimum of text - and the text is ideal for young readers just putting phonics to work.

[createitlibrarian (Amanda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple to use in a size theme storytime

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean picked out Tall for Harriet on our recent trip to Oregon. On our last two days of driving, Sean read it to Harriet repeatedly (by her request). Tall by Jez Alborough was also the subject for Sean's first book report.

Tall is the perfect book for a young reader to share with a younger sibling. The vocabulary is limited (mostly repetitions of "short" and "tall") and the illustrations are colorful and engaging.

The story of Tallis that of a short monkey (Bobo) who wants to be tall. He and his friends (various other animal children) collaborate to make Bobo as tall as possible. Of course things finally go pear shaped for Bobo and he learns to appreciate is own stature.

As a mother to two energetic and adventurous young children, I love the overall message of Tall. Bobo's mother lets Bobo play and explore to his heart's content but when he needs her she is right there to catch him. I feel like Bobo's mother every time I take my two to the park.

[picturethisbook.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we have seen in his first book Hug, Jez Alborough excels at telling stories with minimal words — just five different words this time, to be exact. And once you look at his beautifully expressive illustrations, you will understand why: his drawings already say so much that there's really no need for words — well OK, just one per page.

In Tall, Bobo the monkey returns, and this time, instead of looking for a hug, he's now trying his best to be, well, tall.

This is a sweet story about how it's nice to have friends who can help to lift you up high; but if you do fall back down to earth, it's also comforting to know that someone who loves you is always there for you.

Visit our website for more reviews on great children's books.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my bosses recommended this picture book without many words to a patron whose young daughter is learning to read. Illustrations really tell the story of monkey who explores his size against those of he other jungle animals and discovers how he fits and that he's the size he's supposed to be. Cute book with simple vocabulary.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a very, very simple book about a little chimp who is small, but whose friends help him get tall. Easy to follow and great illustrations.

[Khari · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have known better than to even start this book. The last Bobo the chimp book I read was awful and so I should have known better than to start this one.

I do not understand how such things get published and then sold for $15.99. There are precisely 4 words in this entire book! They just repeat each other! Is it based on sight word principles? It must be. And, if you've read any of my many rants on the topic you already know that sight word reading doesn't work, so this book is written based on a failed principle. I don't see the point.

I think people must buy it based on the art and the ability to make up their own story to the pictures. But if you are going to make up a story anyway, wouldn't it be better to just go the whole way and not depend on pictures someone else drew for inspiration?

Narrative: Doesn't exist
Art: Cute
Price: $15.99 for some unknowable reason.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is SUCH a cute good book. Simple little story about a baby chimp comparing his size to other things. So not only do we get the concept of small and tall, but we get a constantly changing context to think about it in. We also have the SEL of consistent disappointment, helping others AND acceptance at the end when he WANTS to be small again after mama catches him.

I just love this book, it's so good and cute. My version is from the Fern Hill branch of Tacoma Public Library but has been all stamped about to prove it's discarded. Height chart missing. I don't care! Good book for my classroom.

[Natalie]

This book is super cute. It is for Pre-K students and it is about a monkey who meets new friends and wants to be tall like his friends. They all lift him up to help him be tall. At the end when he falls he learns its ok to be small and to be himself. I think this is a great message for young kids. In terms of quality book or not the only used two words and that is tall and small. I think it has great illustrations but it is hard to judge it on other qualities.

[Dorthe Svendsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dette er også bøker for de aller minste. Disse tror jeg passer bedre i barnehagen enn i barneskolen når det kommer til høytlening. Men å ha dem tilgjenglig i førsteklasse til de som har lært seg å lese ord, og som på egenhånd vil prøve seg på engelsk fungerer nok fint. De repeterer enkeltord en del ganger, så veldig pedagogisk riktig. Har også elementer om leggetid i seg, så for de hjem det trengs å prates om, så passer deg godt!

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library. I picked it because he loves monkeys and elephants, and he loves to announce how tall he is when he stands on things.

When we got home from the library, this was one of Jack's first picks. He "read" the book to himself, flipping through all the pages to look through the pictures. Later, he asked me to read it to him multiple times. He loved making the animal noises, especially monkey and elephant of course, and saying tall.

[Allyson Goose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story to read with very few words. My kindergartener likes being able to read it himself. The story, about wanting to be tall but growing to also appreciate the perks of being small, resonated with me and probably with my kids, too. I like this book better than Hug, also by Jez Alborough, because I think it's wittier.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only text used in this book is "small" and "tall." Everything else is told through the ilustrations, which are great. A good addition to a size themed story time. This would be a fun one to use a monkey puppet with and move it from floor to knee to shoulder, etc. etc.

[Kate Callen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely little story that's mostly in pictures, but also has a minimal number of mostly rhyming words, allowing a young child beginning to learn to read to use context and familiarity with the story to successfully read it aloud.

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of opposites! It would definitely be great for younger kids since there are few words, and they’re the same ones repeated. Older kids might get bored with this one, but I would recommend it for younger children.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this wordless picture book, Bobo the monkey is small, but he wants to be tall! So he climbs on a rock. But one of his friends comes by and is still taller than him. This would be good for toddlers.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for early readers!

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet

[Kris Dersch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the BoBo books, but I'm never sad when there's more BoBo.

[Sofie Buynak-Casassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute one word at a time book. Great for toddlers

[Freddie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one can sell visual literacy quite like Jez Alborough. His pictures really do speak a thousand words.

[Mrinalini · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very beautiful picture book for the ones yet to read

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book, but with only 2 words that are repeated throughout the entire book, just not doable for a toddler story time.

[Kelsey Doll · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, tiny chimp feels tall with the help of his progressively taller friends. Story ends with him feeling happy with his size.

[TJE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about monkey wanting to be tall. 2 words throughout whole book, great for beginning readers. T liked but not as much as "Yes" by same author.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little monkey wants to be tall. So he stands on a rock and a turtle and a cub. Each lifts him a bit taller until he stands on the head of a very tall giraffe--and falls off. Mother comes and cuddles her ambitious baby.

Meh.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, albeit very basic. Very pretty pictures, but with little to no text, it’s a very quick and simplistic read. I get that that opens the book up to conversation between parent and child (e.g. “What do you think is happening on this page? Can you tell me the story?”), it makes it easier to understand, and makes it a possible independent reading book for children, but I enjoy a story with more detail and plot.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children will gleefully exclaim at the antics of Bobo the chimpanzee, who is not at all happy with being small. To remedy his situation, he climbs onto the shoulder of various taller and taller animal friends, until a topple and a tumble that sends Bobo right into Mama’s arms, where he finds that is happy being small.

Much of this title is communicated wordlessly, giving the adult reader a chance to engage in a dialogue with young attendents. The mainly visual story also gives young minds work to do. They will hardly notice, though. They will be having too much fun!

This one is especially good for the younger set.