Thank Goodness For Bob by Matthew Morgan & Gabriel Alborozo

Thank Goodness for Bob is a fantastic story for helping children to understand that worrying is normal. Worrying is something that we all do and this story shows children how they can deal with their worries so that they don’t rule their lives like they do for the main character, Max.

The Story: Max worries a lot but his dog Bob doesn’t worry about anything. Max doesn’t feel that he can tell anybody about his worries although his family and his teacher know that he has them. Bob tells Max to talk so he does and as soon as Max starts talking he feels better. His worries are transformed into bubbles and often don’t seem as big or as bad as when they were in his head.

Dealing with worries is often difficult for children and this story provides reassurance that it is perfectly normal to have them. Each worry is transformed into a bubble, it’s a great analogy especially when Max pops the bubbles to get rid of the worries. The story gives a comforting message that talking to a friend can help when you have something on your mind and we love the laid back attitude of Bob in comparison to Max.

Thank Goodness For Bob includes many worries that small children have including whether other children like them or what could be lying under their beds in the dark. Gabriel Alborozo has done a great job of illustrating the worries, we particularly like the pictures of the alien abduction and Max’s fear of being wrapped inside a snake. Once Max has talked to Bob each worry is shown in a bubble and the illustrations play a huge part in showing us the worries, several aren’t mentioned in the text but are just shown pictorially.

If you have a particularly sensitive child who worries a lot this would be a great book for helping him / her to talk about and acknowledge fears and worries out loud. The trust in the relationship between Max and Bob and the way that they tackle Max’s problems is gently reassuring. Thank Goodness For Bob would be a great book to use in a classroom when talking about feelings and emotions and would make a great addition to a school library.

Age Range: 3 +

Author: Matthew Morgan / Illustrator: Gabriel Alborozo

Thank you to Egmont for sending us a copy of Thank Goodness For Bob. We think it does a great job of helping children understand that having worries is normal and that talking to a friend is a great way to help alleviate them.