The Story of Bo: and the Circus That Wasn’t tells the story of Bo, a sheep who dreamed of being an acrobat but who lived in a country where circuses were forbidden. The story was written by author Kyle Mewburn and Telecom customers in an online collaborative effort. All royalties from the sale of the book will be donated to the Telecom Foundation, an umbrella organisation for all of Telecom’s charitable and community-based initiatives.
I’m liking
It’s hard not to fall in love with Bo as he dons his sparkly blue tights and his “sheepachute” and chases his dream to bring joy and entertainment to his grey and dreary world. His friends Snort, Horace and Peep are equally delightful as they go about helping Bo achieve his destiny in dramatic fashion.
The collaborative authorship (each page is written by someone different ) gives the story an unpredictable feel but that seems appropriate given Bo is set on defying his regulated and regimented life.
This is a lovely magical story with some nice concluding messages. In particular, Bo finds that with the support of good friends anything is possible.
Donovan Bixley has illustrated this book beautifully. Like his other fabulous work (see “Old McDonald’s Farm” and “The Wheels on the Bus” in particular), there are lots of little details which will keep your child interested despite multiple readings.
Things that made me go hmmmm
There is nothing that I wanted to change about this book. A great yarn.
The conclusion
If your children love imaginative fantasy stories or enjoy Donovan Bixley’s illustrations then this is a great book for them.
