Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review Bob the alligator is hungry, and he's desperate for a bird snack. The lazy gator waits with his mouth open for a bird to fly in t to no avail. Noting the interest that the birds are showing in a nearby seed-strewn field, Bob sneakily establishes a miniature birdseed canteen on his snout, "which is a real restaurant and not a trick." He has immediate success, attracting one brave bird to the table, but before he can snap it up, it occurs to Bob that it may behoove him to let the bird go spread the word about the new café. The alligator attracts more customers, so many that the birds begin to build a community around him. What luck! Bob will have a steady stream of snacks now. But as he is further drawn into the developing neighborhood, coaching a bird basketball team and contributing to a book club, Bob wonders if perhaps he's been hasty in his tasty scheme. The alligator narrator is delightfully mischievous and matter-of-fact, and his transformation from plotting predator to protective pal is terrifically funny and surprisingly sweet. The splashy illustrations are distinctive and detailed, perfectly suiting the silly tone. Visit Chez Bob with no reservations.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

A reptile cleverly lures his favorite prey.Bob, a rapacious, lazy alligator, expects birds to fly into his mouth without his lifting a claw. Observing how they home in on seed scattered atop grass, he devises an ingenious idea for enticing feathered types to flock his way: opening a restaurant. By sprinkling birdseed (well-seasoned, so customers will be especially flavorful) on his snout, Bob figures unsuspecting birdies will zoom to "Chez Bob" so he can gobble them up. The first satisfied diner promises to recommend the place; Bob decides to forgo eating him. Soon, the restaurant attracts a global clientele, a new town thrives around it, and Bob becomes a civic-minded entrepreneur. By this point, readers will have noticed a shift in Bob: He hasn't swallowed any customers, despite ample opportunities and repeated self-reminders to do so. When a storm breaks and Bob invites his winged neighbors to shelter between his jaws, kids might believe the climax has arrived. What happens next proves a devious alligator can change and kindness and friendship can prevail over predaciousness (though Bob expects accolades for being selfless-he is not entirely reformed). Readers will laugh at this funny story, told mostly via Bob's hilariously self-centered, dryly witty dialogue. He's a riotous hoot whose nature is shown to develop subtly, and kids will cheer for the heartwarming ending. Appropriately droll illustrations perfectly match the lively shenanigans and depict Bob with a toothy, expressive mug.This is one to devour. (Picture book. 4-8)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

PreS-Gr 2 This quirky tale of a nefarious plan gone wrong follows Bob, a proudly lazy alligator who devises an elaborate scheme to lure his meals to him instead of hunting. He builds a birdseed restaurant on his snout to attract birds, making it a snap to gobble them up. However, when the first customer arrives, Bob realizes it would be prudent to allow the bird to fly free and spread the word about "Chez Bob," thereby attracting even more potential snacks with ease. Despite his worst intentions, Bob becomes unwittingly attached to his trusting new companions and the lively community they form around him. He joins a book club and coaches the basketball team, but will he actually make a meal of his feathered friends? The suspense is drawn out until the very end. Young readers will delight in this tale of a flawed protagonist and will cheer for his eventual change of heart. Witty prose and dialogue invite dramatization, making for a fabulously fun read-aloud, while Shea's signature bold, colorful, stylized illustrations serve up a visual feast. Surprisingly touching themes of friendship and caring underpin the narrative's zany humor. Readers will come away giggling but will also retain a renewed sense of the importance of kindness and belonging. VERDICT Laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, and a surefire hit for story time. Bob Shea fans will rejoice. Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Lib., CA

Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

It's a genius plan: Bob the alligator opens a birdseed restaurant on his snout. "Birds will come to eat, but I will eat the birds! I will sell my super-smart idea to other lazy alligators. I will be rich and famous and great." But like the best-laid plans of other species, Bob's scheme goes awry -- which is lucky for readers, because the results are flat-out funny. After a satisfying dining experience, Bob's first customer flies off to tell its friends, and soon birds from around the world flock to eat at/on Bob's nose. The enterprise is so successful that "a little town sprang up around Chez Bob." With his eyes still on the prize but also on his new standing "as a small-business owner," Bob gets involved in local activities, including coaching the birds' basketball team (on his nose, of course). Shea (Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, rev. 9/08, among many others) serves up equal helpings of visual and narrative humor. Alligator Bob's protruding googly eyes -- upon one of which perches a chef's hat -- give him a comedic rather than menacing edge. Playful details in the art, varied perspectives, and effective page-turns enhance the story's humor. Saturated colors (including Bob's mustard-yellow hide) and dynamic type placement help convey emotion and energy. When a thunderstorm hits, civic-minded Bob offers the little birds safe haven -- in his mouth -- and now faces a choice. Are they friends or food? The answer is clear when Bob realizes that the birds have given him what he didn't know he was hungry for: community. From its punny, self-referential appetizer of a title (flip the author's name) to its sweet ending, Chez Bob offers a story-time feast. Kitty Flynn

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A reptile cleverly lures his favorite prey.Bob, a rapacious, lazy alligator, expects birds to fly into his mouth without his lifting a claw. Observing how they home in on seed scattered atop grass, he devises an ingenious idea for enticing feathered types to flock his way: opening a restaurant. By sprinkling birdseed (well-seasoned, so customers will be especially flavorful) on his snout, Bob figures unsuspecting birdies will zoom to "Chez Bob" so he can gobble them up. The first satisfied diner promises to recommend the place; Bob decides to forgo eating him. Soon, the restaurant attracts a global clientele, a new town thrives around it, and Bob becomes a civic-minded entrepreneur. By this point, readers will have noticed a shift in Bob: He hasn't swallowed any customers, despite ample opportunities and repeated self-reminders to do so. When a storm breaks and Bob invites his winged neighbors to shelter between his jaws, kids might believe the climax has arrived. What happens next proves a devious alligator can change and kindness and friendship can prevail over predaciousness (though Bob expects accolades for being selfless-he is not entirely reformed). Readers will laugh at this funny story, told mostly via Bob's hilariously self-centered, dryly witty dialogue. He's a riotous hoot whose nature is shown to develop subtly, and kids will cheer for the heartwarming ending. Appropriately droll illustrations perfectly match the lively shenanigans and depict Bob with a toothy, expressive mug.This is one to devour. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Bob, a bright yellow alligator intent on laziness, thinks, -Maybe if I ask nicely, a bird will fly in my mouth and down into my belly.- When that comes to naught, he hits on the idea of opening a birdseed restaurant for birds-on his nose-and figures he-ll get rich franchising it (-I will have diamond teeth and a solid-gold hat!-). But Chez Bob becomes so popular that its avid avian following builds a town around the restaurant, and Bob, now the proverbial small business owner, finds himself a pillar of the community. When he finally has the opportunity to get his mouth around his feathered patrons and neighbors, he makes a new choice. Shea (Who Wet My Pants?) puts a fresh spin on the tale of a villain reformed by spoofing contemporary rhetoric around the communal good: as a -positive role model for the birds I-m going to eat,- Bob even coaches a local bird basketball team. Shea-s always-striking art has a marvelous lightness here, thanks to the bevy of bird characters and a cheery tropical palette, making for a book that-s funny and lovely to look at, too. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)