This book is fantastic. I fell in love with Juan from the moment I started reading about him. He is underestimated by most people and a very hard worker. He needs to be given explicit instructions in order to properly complete a task, but he ends up taking it in his own direction every time. The directions he is given are never clear enough to make sure he succeeds and so he feels like he constantly fails. This shows how society views and treats people with learning disabilities. People think he is not smart because he does not complete any task successfully when really he is just a boy who needs a little more explaining. I enjoy that he ends up being the hero in the end with great reward. It shows that his way of thinking is not necessarily wrong, just different. I also really like that this book has a glossary in the back with Spanish words and phrases for non-Spanish speakers to learn from. ( )

Everyone is born different and no two people are the same. In this book, Juan Bobo is just that, different, clumsy, and always misunderstands things. Juan bobo sets off to work in return for some money for him and his mom, but Juan Bobo is a very clumsy and forgetful person. He works on a farm and puts the money he earned in his pockets and skips home, the money falls out and his mom tells him to go off again and find more work. Juan bobo does this about three more times, until he comes across this big house with a little girl on the balcony who is sick and dying. If she does not laugh or smile soon she will die. While on his way home Juan Bobo ties his ham, he got from the deli in return for his work, to his legs and all the stray cats and dogs are following him eating his ham. The little girl sees this and instantly starts to laugh. Juan Bobo saved her life! Eventho he was a clumsy and forgetful person, Juan Bobo was his own person and did something very special without even trying. Just being himself he was able to save this little girls life. ( )

This character originates from Puerto Rican folktales. Juan Bobo is a boy that no matter the issue at hand he always manages to mess up. This book is about Juan trying to find a job but messes up every time he tries to come home with what he earned. First he loses his money because of a hole in his pocket, tries to bag milk, melts cheese on his head, and is chased by dogs with his ham tied to a string. Even though everyone thought he was dumb he ended up making a little girl laugh, who was sick and dying from not being able to laugh. The story concludes with Juan and his mother having meals everyday given to them from the father of the little girl he saved. ( )

This cute Puerto Rican folktale is about a silly boy who is seemingly incapable of doing anything correctly. "Juan Bobo Goes to Work" is a humorous story that would likely be thoroughly enjoyed by pre-K and kindergarten readers for Juan Bobo's crazy antics, as well as for the book's colorful illustrations. This Pura Belpre Award winner allows English speakers/readers the opportunity to experience a tale that would traditionally be told in Spanish. ( )

In the story, "Juan Bobo Goes To Work," a Puerto Rican boy named Juan Bobo, set out to work with directions from his mother. His name means "Simple John", and it fits him just right. He set out to work for the local farmer and said he could do any job. His first assignment was to pick beans and put them in the barrel, but he did the exact opposite of what the farmer asked him to do! The farmer let it go and paid him money for his hard work. Bobo set off for home and put the money in his pocket. Oh no, it had fallen out! When he got home, his mother gave him a bag to keep his payment in for next time. The very next day, he went to work for the farmer again. He did the job correctly, but this time the farmer paid him with milk. He put the milk in his bag and walked home. As expected, the milk had leaked out. It seemed Juan Bobo could not do anything right so he started working at the local grocery store sweeping the floor. That was a straight forward job so he should have nothing to worry about, right? Well, the grocerier paid him in ham, so he tied it to a string and headed home. On the way home, all of the animals in the neighborhood were eating the ham that he was dragging. It was pretty much gone by the time he passed by a rich man's house. His daughter was sitting out on the porch and was very ill. The doctor said that if she did not laugh soon then she would die. When she saw Juan Bobo, she could not help but laugh hysterically at him. When the girl's father heard her laughing, he came and thanked him for saving her life. Bobo had to go home to his mother but the rich man never forgot what he had done. Since then, he made sure that his mother and Juan had a delicious ham every Sunday. This sweet and humorous story won the Pura Belpre Award for its beautiful illustration of oil painting. It portrays the life in Puerto Rico, including what the people look like and do. Children will absolutely love this humorous story of Juan Bobo and become excited once they learn that he did not work hard without a reward. ( )