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Friday, February 19, 2021

Bo The Brave, written and illustrated by Bethan Woollvin. Peachtree, Fitzhenry and Whiteside. 2020. $23.99 ages 5 and up

 


"Bo went to her room and sulked. 

I'm not too little, she thought. 
I'm smart and brave and strong! 

And so Bo crept out of the castle to 
catch a monster of her own.

Bo has two older brothers. They are monster hunters. Bo wants to go with them as they set out on their newest quest. They scoff at their sister telling her that she is too little to accompany them. They leave her at home. Bo knows she is brave, strong, and SMART. She makes the decision to find her own monster, and to prove she can do it. 

It isn't long before she meets up with a griffin, then a kraken. They look like monsters; their actions prove they are not. The griffin offers transport when Bo tells him that she is looking to find a sea full of monsters. In the sea, she meets the kraken. In her haste to prove her bravery, she falls overboard. She is saved because she cannot swim. The kraken mentions cave monsters and offers help. There they find a weeping dragon who has lost her baby. 

Bo wants to help, and thinks she might know where to look. The four set off at Bo's direction. In the distance a burning castle offers hope that the baby may be there. What a surprise to discover her brothers at the site. She finds them to be more monstrous than any of her new friends. 

"Beware, you nasty beasts!" shouted Bo.
"I'm Bo the Brave! Get ready to be got!" 
And with that, she threw water over the 
flames - and her monstrous brothers.
"

Given the trouble they find themselves in, the brothers are willing to admit they were wrong about their little sister. They choose to follow her on futures excursions as she pays visits to her old friends and other monsters she happens to discover. She is indeed, Bo the Brave!  

Love the effective and engaging artwork, and the notion that powerful girls have much to offer the world - fantasy or not. Bravo, Bo!                                                                           


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