The One and Only Bob

First and foremost, I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Danny Devito!! It really elevated the reading experience!Quick summary: In the second book in this series, we follow Bob, the stray dog who made a home on Ivan's big tummy and has now been adopted by Julia and her father. We learn about how Bob came to be where he is and what he had been through before arriving at the Big Top Mall. In this book, however, we also see a hurricane hit the zoo and we go on the adventure with Bob as he is swept away and taken to a shelter. Bob has to find the courage he never thought he had and in the process begins to learn the true meaning of friendship and family.I absolutely loved this book, just like the rest in the series. This one definitely wasn't as heartbreaking as Ivan's and Ruby's story but it was still really interesting to see the world through a dog's perspective. Reading the book along with the audiobook gave it a great comical feel. The story also had some scary bits and ones where I was tearing up. This book really explored themes of friendship, forgiveness, family, hope, trust, and determination. Bob has learned a lot from Ivan and Stella while "living" at the mall but in this book he realizes that he has learned even more from his life experiences and maybe he is stronger and more of a leader than he realizes.“The thing is, I would give anything to see my pal Ivan deep in the jungles of Africa, where he was born. Or to see Ruby running across the savanna with a heard of elephants, her big ol’ ears flapping in the wind. But it ain’t happening. I get that and so do they. When you’re an animal, it helps to be a realist” pg. 32“And happy? Happy is the best, but there’s a touch of wistfulness around the edges. You’re going to love every minute of it, but you know it won’t last forever” pg. 42“Families of all shapes and sizes and colors and genders and yep, they all seem to do just fine” pg. 90“Dogs could care less. You think I won’t hang with a Dalmatian ‘cause he’s spotted? Or a sharpei ‘cause she’s wrinkled? I’ll always give a dog the benefit of the doubt. Life is short. Play is good. And there are plenty of tennis balls to go around” pg. 130“I’m trying hard to find the forgiveness that seems to come so naturally to other dogs. Maybe that’s what Boss was getting at. Maybe it’s easier to forgive others once you’ve learned how to forgive yourself” pg. 327