Bob and Flo

by Rebecca Ashdown

How two irresistible little penguins find a new friendship makes for a preschool charmer. Bob and Flo is sure to ease back-to-school jitters.  It's Flo's first day of preschool. She has her lunch in a bucket and a new bow—but soon her bucket disappears! Does her classmate Bob have anything to do with the bucket mystery?

Genres: Picture Books, School, Friendship, Storytime, Childrens, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2014

About the author

Author & Illustrator living and working in the UK. Titles include TS Eliot’s ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’, ‘The Whopper’ and the ‘Bob and Flo’ series.

Reviews

[The Library Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's one thing to share something when someone asks you nicely for it. It's another when someone helps himself/ herself to your toy,and you watch him/her do it, and accept it. Though the end of this has Flo helping Bob, he never apologizes for taking her bucket in the first place, he takes it home, and Flo's calling it "our bucket" doesn't make it better. NOT a good lesson in sharing, more like a demonstration of the sort of passive bullying that once required me to call another family to retrieve one of my daughter's toys!

[Jillian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, since I'm a sucker for cute penguins.

But this one really left me empty. Like...really? It's totally okay that Bob stole your bucket? Flo just shrugs and says "don't forget our bucket" when he takes it home at the end of the day? It just seems like normalizing the dangerous things we tell our little girls, like "if he picks on you, it's because he likes you." No, you teach your little girl about boundaries and that she should expect those boundaries to be respected.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me first begin with one caveat: I am a sucker for most things penguin. I love penguins, especially adorable children’s books about and/or featuring penguins. So, when my coworker presented this new, pristine picture book about two adorable preschool penguin friends? I needed to read it immediately.

The first thing that stands out is the brightly illustrated pages. There are a wide range colors and what appears to be mixed media that went into the creation of the artwork on these pages. Each page is simply narrated with only one or two lines per page, often splitting one sentence between two pages. Definitely intended for a younger audience, ideally ages 2-5.

While I enjoy the adorable images of the penguins, I have some issues with the content. I am so sad that I did not immediately love this book. Yes, I think it’s a generally nice ending that Bob and Flo become friends and share Flo’s bucket, but what kind of lesson is it really when Bob has only obtained the bucket by essentially stealing it from Flo and holding it hostage all day? Flo is searching everywhere for her bucket, which, by the way, was holding her lunch (Bob just up and dumps her fish on the ground to use this bucket for however he fancies while Flo is left searching high and low and has to eat floor fish), only to find it when Bob gets stuck in the slide. Sure, it’s nice that she doesn’t yell at him for stealing her bucket, but is it so wrong for me to kind of want to see this female penguin stand up for herself and get mad at him? Like, “Hey, Bob; not cool taking my bucket. I would have gladly shared it with you had you not absconded with it and dumped my lunch haphazardly on the floor like that, but now you owe me both my bucket and an apology. Who raised you?” Or the preschool equivalent.

Sure, it’s illustratively an adorable book, but in its journey to create an “adorable” friendship it lost the lessons behind truly being kind, sharing, asking before taking/using something that is not yours, and not letting someone take advantage of you/your belongings (kind of seems like passive bullying; just saying).

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 1 out of 5]

On Flo's first day of preschool she comes with a new pink bow and her lunch in a bucket. While she paints, Bob takes her bucket leaving her meal of fish all over the floor. This somehow merely confuses Flo. She sees Bob with her bucket several times and does not confront him (or she doesn't realize he has it). Finally, she spots it while Bob is stuck on a slide. Being a helpful penguin, she scoops up water with her bucket and helps swoosh Bob down. The two slide around on the water the rest of the day. When it's time to go home Bob takes the bucket and Flo reminds him to remember to bring it tomorrow so they can play again.

Ok, so this book is telling kids, girls if you want to be particular, that it's ok if someone else takes your things. That instead of claiming your property that it's better to declare it belongs to you both so you can be friends and avoid conflict. Also, it doesn't encourage children to ask politely if they want to play with someone else's things. I know this a preschool book, and perhaps I'm over analyzing it, but I don't like the message and I won't be reading this to my kids. (The story would be just as awful- and I'm sure more people would be outraged- if it was about the other girl penguin taking Flo's pink bow.)

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flo's bucket is missing and there is something . . . different . . . about Bob. Could it be the bucket-like hat on his head?!

Oddly delightful. Reminds of It's Only Stanley but not quite as wacky.

[Haaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If someone took my lunch bucket and ate all my food, I probably wouldn't be friends with them by the end of the day.

[Veronika Bitting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flo has her first day of school and shares the things she bring in with her classmates. Every kid has their first day of school, so this book is very relatable to their lives.

[Leigh Chickering · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flo goes to preschool with her new bow and bucket. There she meets a new friend named Bob. Soon her bucket goes missing and when she goes looking for it, she sees Bob playing multiple different things with her bucket but she doesn't realize he has it. Then she finds her bucket but loses her friend. She finds him stuck on top of the slide and then helps him and they play together until its time to go home.

I thought this book was so cute! I like the simple illustrations and how eye catchy they are for preschoolers.

I would use this book to help teach about things that can do many things. In the story, Flo brought the bucket holding her lunch but Bob finds other uses for the bucket such as a hat, a stool, to build sandcastles, and a drum. I would ask the students if they can think of anything else that has multiple uses and talk about it.

[Miya Gaub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob and Flo is a relatable book for many young kids who are starting preschool or kindergarten for the first time. A common problem of young kids around 4 to 5 is their ability to make new friends in an unknown environment. Throughout the story, Bob and Flo demonstrate ways in which students can make friends with their peers. At first, Bob compliments Flo on her bow and her bucket. Then, the two stand next to each other during art. When Flo goes looking for her bucket, she sees that Bob is in danger at recess. She saves the day by splashing Bob with water to get him unstuck from the slide. The last line of the story is “And don’t forget our bucket!” which I love because the penguins are now expressing the bucket as something they share. This is a wonderful short story to introduce students to friendship morals and sharing.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making friends in preschool? At the time, this may seem tremendously important. While in hindsight...

All that cute kid drama notwithstanding, how many of us are still besties with the kids we met in preschool?

For Flo, however, these preschool relationships are serious. Just as, at a certain point, Bob appears to be seriously stuck.

There's a happy ending, of course, a clever one. Not that I'll deliver a spoiler, no no.

I'll just deliver a FIVE STAR rating. Three cheers for friendly Bob and Flo, the bucket, and Rebecca Ashdown's preschooler-prescient words and illustrations in this book.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am looking for a cute penguin book to hold the interest of fourteen 4 year olds. Penguin friends at preschool should be cute, right? Nope. Bob eats Flo's lunch and steals her bucket. What about the preschool teacher? What about lunchtime? The kids at our school are provided with lunch and breakfast and some of them come to school without having eaten and the idea of Flo going home hungry makes me very sad.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Flo's first day of preschool. She has her lunch in a bucket and a new bow—but soon her bucket disappears! Does her classmate Bob have anything to do with the bucket mystery? How two irresistible little penguins find both Flo's bucket and a new friendship makes for a preschool charmer. Bob and Flo is sure to ease any back-to-school jitters.

[Lil Old Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much like other reviewers here, I wanted to like this book (the illustrations are charming) but the "moral" being that it's ok to steal things from your classmates and not deal with any consequences rubbed me the wrong way.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flo is nervous about going to preschool. She "loses" her bucket and while trying to find it, makes a friend, Bob.

[Joy Keil · Rating 3 out of 5]

My toddler enjoys this one. I can't say I love reading it, but it's cute.

[Elena Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for toddlers or pre-K.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story. Two preschool penguins become friends over a bucket of fish. My son and I were cracking up when Bob ate all the fish in Flo's bucket and got stuck on the slide.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob stole that bucket.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little penguins are cute but I am not sure the point of this one. It has an odd take on sharing. There is another Bob and Flo book I liked better.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is SO CUTE
A must have addition to the preschool library
SUPER quick
great message
colorful and delightful illustrations

[Marisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novelist: Babies/Toddlers - Pre-Kindergarten
Amazon: Preschool - 3

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but not my favorite. I like the penguins but they were probably my favorite part, not the actual story.

[Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This kids book was not for me. A board book featuring penguins (cute) but a weird story. It read sort of like See Dick and Jane. Stilted.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My students love this sweet book about sharing.

[Rolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, though I’m not sure I’m on board with this book’s version of sharing (where if another kid takes your things, you just roll with it and try to become their friend hoping they’ll give it back).

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Good for a family storytime.

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute tale of penguin classmates at school, and the mystery of the missing bucket.

[Caroline VanLandingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super easy read about starting preschool, making a new friend, and learning to share.

[TJE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, cute, simple.

[Erin Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Flo the penguins first day of preschool. She meets a new friend, Bob who takes her bucket, and they play together. The bucket goes missing, and Bob has it, but Flo doesn't know that. Then when Bob got stuck in the slide, Flo grabbed the bucket, poured some water on him, and he came right out! Then they became close friends.
This book is so adorable! It's a great book to teach sharing, and being nice to the new people we meet. Even being so young, pre-k kids would respond well to the because even though the bucket wasn't Bob's, Flo didn't get mad at him for taking it. She also helped him when he needed it. This is definitely a good book for younger children. Especially with all of the adorable illustrations.