Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival
Name of Book: Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival
Authors: Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery
Illustrator: Jean Cassels
Publisher : Walker & Company
Audience : Ages 4-8
Summary: Bobbi, a dog, and Bob Cat are the best of friends. When their hometown of New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina, they lost everything, as did so many others. Only by staying together could Bobbi and Bob Cat survive. The book is the true story of their friendship.
Left behind by their owners, Bobbi broke free from her tether to the front porch and the two homeless orphans begin a dangerous and hungry journey through the devastated city streets. Bobbi dragged along the broken chain of her tether and Bob Cat followed close beside her.
After many months on their own, a construction worker began feeding the two starving animals and eventually took them to a temporary shelter run by Best Friends Animal Society. The first night at the shelter, with the two friends in separate cages, was a difficult night for everyone. Bobbi howled, Bob Cat paced, and no one slept. Before morning, they put the two Bobbies in the same cage where they immediately touched noses and settled down together.
As the shelter volunteers observed Bob Cat – the way he carefully lifted and placed his front paws and stayed close to Bobbi at all times – they realized that the cat was blind. Bobbi was her friend’s seeing-eye dog! Eventually the two were adopted by a family in Oregon and they now live on a farm with toys, treats, new friends, and best of all, each other.
Literary elements at work in the story: A true story of friendship and survival. No one knows how or when the two animals came together but the part of the story that we do know is touching and well told in this beautifully illustrated picture book.
Scripture: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-14
Theology: These faithful companions and the gentle care of loving human beings reminds us that God is always with us, still taking care of creation.
Faith Talk Questions:
- Bobbi was left by her owners tied to the porch. What do you make of that? Do you think her owners were trying to keep her safe? Do you think they meant to come back for her?
- Were you surprised when you found out Bob Cat was blind? In what ways did the dog Bobbi take care of her friend?
- Can you think of ways that Bob Cat’s friendship may have helped Bobbi?
Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Kelly Hames
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.