ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

His father is in the army, so Leon and his mother have moved to a new neighborhood, an event made better by the presence of his imaginary friend, Bob. Bob is with Leon at home and at school. Leon likes to read his father's letters over and over, and Bob likes to hear them again and again. One day, Leon notices that a new family with a son his age has moved in next door. Leon has to work up his courage to go over but feels he can do it as long as Bob is at his side, but as he climbs the stairs, Leon realizes Bob is gone. Nevertheless, Leon manages to knock on the door, and the boy who answers it seems ready to be his friend--a boy named Bob. Simple, elemental, yet full of heart, the story, remarkably, captures a character who isn't there and makes readers see him just as Leon does. James' watercolor-and-ink pictures are displayed in a long, lean format that accents Leon's small size in his big world. However, the last scene, a double-page spread, widens that world, showing Leon and Bob playing soccer in the park. (Reviewed February 1, 1997)

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

Leon is new in town and invents an imaginary friend, Bob, who is always willing to play with him. When a boy moves in next door to Leon, he and Bob decide to go say hello, but Bob suddenly disappears, and Leon must decide what to do on his own. Ink and subdued watercolor illustrations with plenty of details accompany this simple and somewhat predictable urban story.

Kirkus Reviews

Leon is new in town. His father is away in the army and his mother is often busy, but Leon has Bob, a pal no one else can see. Bob is a good friend, keeping Leon company as they walk to school, and sharing letters from Leon's dad. One day a new boy moves in next door. Leon prepares to meet him, ``but you'll have to come with me, Bob.'' When Leon approaches the new kid's front door, he realizes Bob isn't next to him. Guess what the new kid's name turns out to be? The story may be a bit too neat, but there is no denying the quality of the artwork. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations have a hint of James Stevenson's work to them, cat- quick and near weightless, and James (Ancient Rome, 1990, etc.) has a wonderful way with gestures: the slouch in Leon's shoulders as he shuffles off to school, the angle of his head as he lends an ear to a voice only he can hear. Tidy, but congenial. (Picture book. 3-7)"