#445 of 1001 · October 19, 2021

Let’s flip through the effortlessly charming and insightful I’m Not Bobby by Jules Feiffer. Bobby is getting called by his mother. But Bobby doesn’t want to go. The text of the book consists of his inner monologue as he scurries impishly away from his family and his home, imagining himself alternatively as various creatures too fearsome to confront and vehicles too swift to catch. At the same time, hand lettering in the illustrations themselves conveys his mother’s mounting exasperation as she shouts at Bobby, gives up in disgust and shuts the door. Finally, once Bobby has a chance to catch his breath, he realizes he is hungry and returns to the house, but on his own terms: as a lion pretending to be Bobby. With striking accuracy and a wicked sense of humor, Feiffer deftly captures children’s use of fantasy play for comfort, escape, and power, as well as their ability to step back and forth between the pretend role and their own mundane identity. His zany art, characterized by loose, energetic line, explores the broad strokes and fine shades of Bobby’s emotions throughout. #child #children #play #fantasy #imagination #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks