The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot! by Scott Magoon (review)

A friendly Sasquatch narrates this twist on "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," relating his introduction to young Ben, who has a habit of making up stories about spying Bigfoot near the woods. When no Bigfoot ever actually appears, Ben's believers predictably lose faith. As Ben sits dejectedly near the woods one evening, Bigfoot makes his presence known and borrows Ben's bike for a ride, prompting Ben to yell, "BIGFOOT! BIGFOOT! BIGFOOT IS STEALING MY BIKE!" No one comes, of course, but the benign Bigfoot is a genuinely nice guy and soon brings back the bike as well as Ben's dog, who went along for the ride. Ben learns "the importance of always telling the truth," and the closing pages show him armed with camera, tape recorder, and video camera, even more determined to prove that Bigfoot is real. This is an amusing take on a well-known tale, and the Bigfoot element has great kid appeal. Bigfoot's narrative voice is endearingly friendly but just alien enough to differentiate him from the humans: "I didn't normally talk to a Littlefoot. But there was something about this Ben I liked." Magoon's digitally created illustrations are skillfully composed, and the expressions and positions of his slightly blocky figures are often humorous. Most of the action takes place in the same spot, with a change in sky color indicating the passage of time, and the repeated setting effectively highlights the interactions of the small, brunette Ben and the large, brown, slightly gorilla-like Bigfoot. While educators might want to use this in comparison with "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," it could also be paired with Spires' Larf (BCCB 4/12) for a successful Sasquatch storytime.