If your kids are as silly as mine, they will definitely enjoy Todd McQueen’s Bob & Rob & Corn on the Cob.  Yes, even the title and cover make you grin.  Open the book to meet two squirrels, Bob and Rob, who happen to love corn on the cob.  They know a rabbit named Ella Mae Dobbs who most definitely does not love corn on the cob.  She’s a food snob who prefers “pan-seared tofu with carrots cut curly and hot cheese fondue.”  The squirrels attempt to convince her to taste corn on the cob by trying her favorites in return for her trying theirs.  When the corn on the cob is added to a kebab, one of Ella Mae Dobbs’ favorite foods, and heated with fire, there is a fun surprise that wins her over.

The story is very simple… and very adorable.  All kids will love the rhyme, and older kids will note how different fonts are used for effect.  There is a random robot at various points in the story, saying random things, and it really gets readers laughing.  Kids will relate to the persistence of Bob and Rob in trying to get all their friends to like their favorite thing, and some little chefs might find the refined palate of Ella Mae Dobbs similar to their own.

Where this book really shines is its illustrations.  They are quirky and playful and silly, and they are truly lovely, too.  When Rob is forced to try tofu, his little squirrel face goes green.  Ella Mae Dobs wears a fancy lace skull cap, ridiculous sunglasses (indoors?), and a stole.  Rob and Bob, themselves, are drawn in cute getups that kids will enjoy.

Lighthearted fun is expected whenever corn on the cob is being served, and this book really delivers.