Kirkus Reviews

The Puerto Rican folk character Juan Bobo, a.k.a. "Simple John," who just can't get anything right, trips over a silver lining supplied by Montes ( Something's Wicked in These Woods , p. 1287) and set in tropically festive artwork by the illustrator of Captain Bob Sets Sail (p. 640). Shooed out the door to find work and told not to put his wages in his pocket, but to carry them in his hand, Juan Bobo gets a job shelling beans. Though he manages to get even that job wrong, he is paid and promptly shoves the money into his pocket, where it falls through the holes as he walks home. The next day his mother gives him a sack in which to put his payment, but this time his reward is a bucket of milk. He does as commanded, with predictable results. Carry it home on your head next time, she tells him, not knowing his payment for sweeping the grocer's floor will be cheese; it melts in the sun. Tie it up with string next time, she says, but the payment is a ham that Juan Bobo drags homeward, only to have it eaten by the neighborhood cats and dogs. This is Juan Bobo's lot, but Montes is not happy with it; the fool can't simply be a well-meaning comic figure in the tradition of Epaminondas—he ultimately has to deliver. So she adds a Goose Girl touch and works it so that Juan Bobo saves the life of a rich man's daughter and thus food is thereafter no problem. Heroism doesn't sit comfortably on Juan Bobo's shoulders. His gift is that he makes us laugh, and that is more than enough. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-9)

ALA Booklist (Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

In this Puerto Rican parallel to Lazy Jack, Juan Bobo has the same problems with coins, milk, cheese, and other payments as his English counterpart. When Juan makes the rich girl laugh, however, her father repays him with a ham every Sunday. This altered ending fits the setting but occurs abruptly. Otherwise, the funny, well-paced retelling smoothly incorporates Spanish words and phrases. Most are easily understood in context, but an appended glossary provides pronunciations as well as definitions. An author's note adds cultural background about Juan Bobo but cites no specific source for the story. Using bold, bright Caribbean colors, Cepeda's oil paintings amplify Juan's silliness and charm. Brush strokes add texture, and background details establish the Puerto Rican setting. An obvious candidate for multicultural units, this will be popular wherever children love to laugh.

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2003)

Minnie is thrilled when she overhears her friend Charles talking about a party at his house. But she becomes increasingly miserable each day that an invitation does not arrive. On Saturday, Minnie unexpectedly finds herself enjoying Charles's company--after he escapes from what turns out to be his sister's party. Although both text and watercolor illustrations are playful, they deftly capture the pain of feeling left out.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Juan Bobo, the Puerto Rican equivalent of Foolish Jack, can't seem to get anything right. Sent off by his mother to find work, he causes one disaster after another, and manages to lose or destroy his payment in a variety of amusing ways. As luck would have it, one of the boy's misadventures brings laughter to the rich man's daughter, and Juan at last receives compensation that he can hold on to. Montes tells her story well, but Cepeda's illustrations steal the show. Using his distinctive, vibrantly colored acrylics, the artist creates a character whose innocence, confusion, and contrition are endearing. The text is heavily peppered with Spanish phrases, but a glossary and an author's note are included. Another lively addition to folktale shelves.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.