Little Bobo

The illustrations really hold an eyeful for my children. As well, the story is enough to keep them interested. It's just a pleasant bedtime story.

Bobo is a young orangutan who discovers a violin in the jungle and learns to play it. Tragedy strikes when a crocodile eats it; Bobo's father visits Uncle Darwin and brings back a variety of replacement "music makers." None of the other musical instruments satisfies Bobo, so his father takes him to see Uncle Darwin's cave of mysterious treasures for himself. They do end up finding another violin, which Bobo plays. The story is well-written and the wonderful illustrations add volumes. I would not have thought it possible to draw a young orangutan playing the violin in such a way that the playing position is actually fairly accurate and the orangutan is irresistable. My 19-month-old son is riveted by the pictures, and loves to find Bobo and/or his violin on each page; the somewhat older children it is written for will enjoy it as well. I highly recommend this book!