The true story behind it
I wrote this one during the year my mother was bedridden. I didn’t set out to put that into a story. But looking back, it’s there. Bobo will go to any length to help his grandma, and that’s how our family felt then, trying everything we could to help her get well.
I also made the map hard to read on purpose. Most hard things don’t work on the first try, and I want kids to see a few misses before the answer comes.
What happens in the story
Kitty and Dino hear soft crying in the forest. They find Bobo, a baboon with golden-brown fur, sitting on a rock with an old stone tablet covered in strange marks.
Bobo’s grandma is very sick. The tablet is a map to a magical waterfall whose water can heal her, but he can’t read it. So the three of them start trying things. Dino grows vines and flowers to match the shapes, and nothing matches. Bobo’s shoulders droop. “This isn’t working.” Kitty won’t let him quit. Her wind blows the dust away, and a few new marks show up.
Then, right at sunset, Dino warms the tablet with his hands and the marks glow soft blue. Now they can see it: a mountain, a river, a waterfall. They follow the map, and Dino grows glowing golden moss on a rock so they’ll find their way back. At a rock wall covered in vines, Kitty feels water behind it. Dino parts the vines, and a small crack leads into a crystal cave with the glowing waterfall inside.
Bobo fills a small pot with the water. Before they go, he leaves the tablet by the waterfall, so someone else who needs it might find it one day. By morning they’re back at his village, and his grandma looks better after drinking some of the healing water.
Looking for a children’s book about baboons?
A lot of monkey and baboon stories are jungle mischief. Bobo is a quieter kind of hero: a grandchild who wants to help someone he loves and doesn’t know how yet.
So it’s a gentle choice if a grandparent in your own family is unwell. It keeps things soft. A child doing what he can, friends beside him, and a grandma who looks better by the end.
What your child learns
Every idea in this book is one of Kitty and Dino’s oldest: help the friend right in front of you, even a total stranger, even when you don’t yet know how.
Bobo’s story leans hardest on teamwork. Kitty’s wind clears the tablet. Dino’s plants don’t crack the code, but his heat does. Nobody solves it alone, and nobody’s gift is the “main” one. That’s a good thing for a kid to sit with, especially one who’s decided he’s “not the smart one” or “not the strong one” in some group at school.
There’s also a quiet lesson in not giving up after something fails. Dino’s plant idea doesn’t work, and for a second, the story lets that sting a little before the next idea comes along. Kids don’t always get to see that part in stories. Usually the hero just tries the right thing on the first try.
And under all of it: taking care of family, and the small, generous choice Bobo makes at the very end, leaving the map for the next person who’ll need it just as badly as he did.
Questions to ask after reading
A few questions for the minute after the book closes. There are no wrong answers.
- The first idea didn’t work, and Bobo felt like giving up. What did Kitty say?
- Why do you think Bobo left the tablet by the waterfall?
- Bobo wanted to help his grandma feel better. What can you do when someone you love isn’t feeling well?
Perfect for
- ✓ A cozy, gentle bedtime read with a bit more adventure than most nights
- ✓ Kids working through a “that didn’t work, now what” moment of their own
- ✓ A family that’s ever pulled together to help someone through a hard week
- ✓ Reading aloud together, ages 3 to 8
Quick answers
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