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Have Fun

On Saturday, February 13th, Bobby Boo World was invited by Lyss Stern of Divalysscious Moms to participate in the 6th Annual Divamoms Valentine's Day Event at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City.  With a new Owl Howl written especially for the occasion, our team contributed to the fun with a special gift CD, Bobby Boo character stickers and bookmark, and a reading from our first book, "Bobby Boo's Big Babysitter Adventure." The near capacity crowd boogied the day away with pizza, funky music and plenty of sweets.  The Bobby Boo team was thrilled to be part of this exciting event for the under eight set and we look forward to the next time we can meet up with the Divalysscious crowd.  Thanks Lyss!

On Tuesday, April 27th, in honor of National Poetry Month, Bobby Boo author R.S. Scotte and the Boo Crew's Duke of Harmony and Wizard of Odds and Ends paid a visit to the National Owl Howl Competition's pilot school, the Cherry Hill School in River Edge, NJ.  Hosted by 4th grade teacher Bobby Hall (who was the inspiration for the Owl Howl contest idea) and his mentoring partner, 1st grade teacher Susan Boucher, the Boo Crew was treated to a reading of original Owl Howls created by student pairs from the two classes, as the culmination to a process that began last fall.  This unique poetry writing competition is designed to give kids the chance to express their creativity by exercising  their  writing and performing skills.

Owl Howls are fun poems written in couplet form and then read out loud in a spirited fashion!  They can be on a variety of themes.  The Cherry Hill kids wrote about their favorite hobbies such as sledding and chess, tributes to heroes in their lives such as their parents and teachers, and a crossing guard who is also a heavily decorated World War II veteran, as well as descriptions of characters from the Bobby Boo book series.  The older children each thanked us graciously for coming to hear them perform their work, and read aloud their original Owl Howls with their 1st grade buddies - many of whom had only begun to write this very school year! 

Following the impressive and entertaining reading, the kids addressed a series of questions to Mr. Scotte, who was happy to talk about his creative process and why he writes about Bobby Boo.
 
"Originally, I started by telling stories to my 5-year-old son, who wasn't very interested in reading at the time.  The character of Bobby Boo is based on him and his real life experiences, and Bobby's family and friends are based on real people we know and love.  He loved the stories so much that I started writing them down, and eventually decided to turn them into books.  Now that my son is older, I keep on writing because it's fun.  I have about twenty books written so far."

"It was wonderful to see the progress the younger kids made since we began working together at the beginning of the term," said Bobby Hall, a charismatic teacher who gets his kids' attention right from the start of the year by telling them, "There is no fun allowed in my class."

Afterwards, we sat down with the teachers and some of Mr. Hall's students, who told us how gratifying it was to act as "big buddies" to the younger kids, and help them gain the confidence to read their work in front of the entire group, which also included visiting parents and other relatives.  They expressed pride in being able to act as role models for their 1st grade partners, while sharing their love of the creative process with them.

All of the kids received special Bobby Boo World discs, including an animated version of the first book in the Bobby Boo World adventure series, "Bobby Boo's Big Babysitter Adventure," as well as printable versions of character Owl Howls, a Bobby Boo coloring book, and Bobby Boo World Citizen Proclamations.  Best of all, the Cherry Hill School has agreed to be the site for next year's Competition which will be expanded to include several additional schools from the area.  It will be exciting to see what happens once more children get involved in this very special fun and educational contest.

Do Good

On Wednesday, March 10th,  Boo Publishing joined with our partner charity, Road Recovery, to bring stories and toys to a special group of kids at the Jewish Board for Family and Children's Services at The Henry Ittleson Center.  Youth at the Ittleson Center, located in the Bronx, work hard to overcome many adversities, (see description below) and were a natural choice for this holiday toy giveaway, which had been in the works since December.  The event included readings of the first two books in the Bobby Boo book series, as well as a series of Owl Howls written about some of the main characters in Bobby Boo World - Bobby Boo, Petey the Destroyer and Choco the Lab.  It was great to spend time with the kids, who especially enjoyed learning how to use the Bobby Boo Alphanumberator Decoder and opening the special treasure chest that held their gifts.  Special thanks to Commonwealth Toys for their generous donation of $1000 worth of plush toys for this unique day of giving, and to Road Recovery for helping bring Boo resources to where they are most needed and appreciated!
 
The Henry Ittleson Center:
Based in Riverdale, NY, the Ittleson Center is a residential program of the Jewish Board for Family and Children's Services. Ittleson helps children (ages: 6-13 years of age) who have experienced trauma in their young lives and as a result have significant problems in learning, in making or keeping friends, and managing feelings. Staff and volunteers work closely with each child to re-build a sense of self and improve their responses to the world around them.

Be Rewarded

Regular Monthly Contests!
Visit our Bobby Boo World Contest page, where every month you'll find a new chance to have fun and win prizes!
 

This Month's Contest:
Boo's Heroes Owl Howl Contest!
Write an Owl Howl describing someone who is a hero to you.  This person can be someone you know, or someone you've heard about or read about.  The important thing is that you have been inspired by who this person is or what he or she does.  It can be someone who is alive right now, or someone from history.  You choose!  

Everyone who enters wins a Bobby Boo surprise, and if someone writes something that touches the Boo Team in a special place in our hearts, then that person will also receive an extra special prize and a shout out on our website!

For more details, visit our Contest page.

June's Boo's Hero Recipient

Dear Mr. President
Barack, our leader, show us the way
To shake our great land out of this dismay
Your energy and light off which we shall feed
To bring back our land from short term banking greed
To be an example for lands far and near
To bring us together for truths we hold dear
The land of plenty in hard times unite
To never forget the poor or their plight
The glass may be empty but we can regain
Our innocence lost but our hope will sustain
Us together – it’s why our country’s so great
To pass it forward and help, it’s never too late
Bobby Boo is a fan of your oratory skill
To inspire our citizens, their promise to fulfill!

Special Bobby Boo World Cup Contest!
That's right, Bobby Boo World is offering a unique chance to celebrate the World Cup by entering our Favorite Sport contest to decide the most popular sport in the world!  Win a special prize!
Click here for more details.

Coming Soon

Stay tuned for more information about our School Owl Howl Competition, this fall!

Book Two of the Bobby Boo adventure series coming in January, 2011!  Get ready for Bobby Boo's Baby Brother Bargain!