Juan Bobo (comic book) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Juan Bobo
Cover of Juan Bobo and the Bag of Gold #1 (August 2013) [Benchmark Books]. Art by Jess Yeomans.
Publication information
Publisher	Journal of American Folklore Walker & Company Ediciones Librero Ediciones Huracan Dutton Harper Collins Turtleback Books Troll Communications Scholastic Books Rayo Ediciones Puertorriqueñas Houghton Mifflin August House Benchmark Books Hampton-Brown Reviewed by: Kirkus Reviews Library Journal Publishers Weekly Booklist
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Comic fantasy
Publication date	1921, 1973, 1979, 1981, 1993, 1994, 1995 (HarperCollins), 1995 (Dutton Lodestar), 1995 (Turtleback-Bernier), 1995 (Turtleback- Mike), 1997, 1998 (Troll), 1998 (Libero), 1999, 2000 (Rayo), 2000 (Hampton-Brown), 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013
Main character(s)	Juan Bobo
Creative team
Writer(s)	Puerto Rican school children
Artist(s)	Jess Yeomans (Benchmark) Joe Cepeda (Harper Collins) Christy Hale (Dutton Books) Ernesto Ramos Nieves [Photographer] (HC-2) Tom Wrenn (August) Charles Reasoner (Troll)
Creator(s)	Originally: Puerto Rican school children Retold by: Virginia Schomp (Benchmark) Marisa Montes (Harper Collins) Felix Pitre (Dutton Books) Carmen T Bernier-Grand (Harper Collins) Ari Acevedo-Feliciano (August House) Bernice Chardiet (Walker & Co.) Maria Cadilla de Martinez and Jose Ramirez-Rivera (Ediciones Librero) Jan M. Mike (Troll Communications) Rosario Ferre (Ediciones Huracan) Jan M Mike (Turtleback)
Collected editions
ALSC Award	ISBN 978-0-6881-6234-4
Belpre Award	ISBN 0-688-16234-7

Juan Bobo is a series of folk stories from Puerto Rico. They are about a special children's character named Juan Bobo. For hundreds of years, these folk stories have been told from one generation to the next among Puerto Rican schoolchildren. The Juan Bobo comic books have been published in Puerto Rico, the United States, and Spain, among other countries.

Over nearly two centuries, a huge collection of books, songs, riddles, and folktales have grown around the Juan Bobo character. Hundreds of children's books have been written about Juan Bobo in both English and Spanish. There are at least 70 different Juan Bobo stories! In 2002, the book Juan Bobo Goes to Work won two important awards for its pictures: the ALA Notable Books for Children Award and the Belpré Medal.

Juan Bobo stories are also used in public schools and libraries across the United States. They even appear on PBS Television. The first time these stories were published in the United States was in 1921 by the Journal of American Folklore. The newest series is part of the American Legends and Folktales collection from Benchmark Publishers. When the comic books first came out for everyone to buy in 1974, they were standard 26-page hardcover children's comic books. Later, some publishers made them into smaller 8x8 inch books. They are made for young children, usually aged four to eight.

Meet Juan Bobo: Puerto Rico's Favorite Character

Juan Bobo is often a trickster (someone who likes to play tricks) and sometimes seems like a fool. But he is a boy who does things in his own special way. He has a good heart but sometimes doesn't have much common sense. Juan Bobo tries to do exactly what his mother tells him. Yet, things always seem to go wrong! Then, in a surprising twist, they end up perfectly right, almost as if Juan Bobo had a secret, amazing genius. Because of this unique way of doing things, Juan Bobo is Puerto Rico's most loved "noodlehead" (a funny word for someone who acts a bit silly).

For example, his mother might send him to find work. But Juan Bobo often causes one problem after another and always seems to lose his payment. In one typical story, his mother asks him to clean up a pig so she can sell it for more money at the market. Instead, Juan Bobo dresses the pig for church in his mother's best Sunday clothes, complete with lipstick and high heels! The stories often show a young, clever man who travels around the Puerto Rican countryside, going from job to job and from one funny disaster to the next. While Juan and his tricks are the main fun, the stories also make funny comments about different jobs and people. This gives us lots of information about life in Puerto Rico long ago. Juan Bobo is a bit like Puerto Rico's Amelia Bedelia!

First Juan Bobo Stories in the U.S.

The first collection of Juan Bobo stories published in the U.S. came out in 1921. They were in the Journal of American Folklore and were called Porto Rican Folklore. This collection had 56 "Picaresque Tales" (adventure stories with a clever hero) about Juan Bobo. They had interesting titles like Juan Bobo Heats up his Grandmother, Juan Bobo Delivers a Letter to the Devil, and Juan Bobo Refuses to Marry the Princess. The first time Juan Bobo stories appeared in comic book form was in 1973. These were printed by Walker and Company and written by Bernice Chardiet.

It's interesting to know where these stories came from. The people who put the collection together said that the stories had many parts from African and European folk tales. They also shared that the first versions of all 56 stories were written by Puerto Rican school children! However, none of these children were named or given credit in the book.

Juan Bobo Books in Schools and Libraries

Juan Bobo books are published in both hardcover and paperback. They are used as teaching books in elementary schools. They are also used in programs that teach two languages (bilingual programs) and in Spanish-language classes across the United States. Many of the books come with special lesson plans and activities to help kids learn to read.

The McGraw Hill company uses these books in a reading program that is used in public schools all over the U.S. The Scholastic publishing company also provides Juan Bobo teaching materials to teachers. August House publishers have a series of Juan Bobo teaching materials that are sent out nationally. The Greenwood Publishing Group also created Juan Bobo materials to help children learn to read in classrooms and libraries. The American Legends children's books included Juan Bobo in a series of four folk story books. You can find Juan Bobo books and stories in public libraries in New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and in many other library systems across the United States.

Where Juan Bobo Books Are Sold

Bookstores all over the United States sell a wide variety of Juan Bobo books. You can find them at places like Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, Abe Books, and Powell Books. Newspapers across the U.S. often print Juan Bobo stories.

The Juan Bobo stories are known in many countries, from the United States to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Spain, and the Philippines. Juan Bobo books are even sold in Great Britain. The National Library Board of Singapore also has a list of Juan Bobo books. In the Philippines, Juan Bobo stories are sometimes called "Lazy Juan."

Juan Bobo in Other Media

On U.S. public television, Juan Bobo stories are used by PBS stations in states like Alabama, Arkansas, California, Chicago, and Iowa. They are also part of the nationwide PBS Learning Media system. In Puerto Rico, Juan Bobo stories and radio dramas are often played on radio stations. You can also buy Juan Bobo CDs and download Juan Bobo MP3s on the island and in the United States.

In the world of theater, Theatre Works USA in New York City created and performed a Juan Bobo play in 2008. They even made a children's study guide for it. The Teatro Círculo Theater Company put on an Off-Broadway show called The Mischievous Juan Bobo in 2006. Also in 2006, the Open Eye Theater in Minneapolis performed The Adventures of Juan Bobo. Later, in 2009, the University Theater of Northeastern Illinois University presented a Juan Bobo play called Señora Tortuga. Children's theater companies often perform Juan Bobo stories, sometimes using puppets. In New York City, a group of elementary school children even made a Juan Bobo animated film, and you can find play scripts for children's Juan Bobo shows. In Colombia, the Corporación Artística La Polilla theater company put on a show called Juan Bobo y el Secreto de la Princesa (Juan Bobo and the Riddling Princess) in 2013.

In 1962, the Puerto Rican librarian Pura Belpré published the first Juan Bobo novel in the United States. It was called Juan Bobo and the Queen's Necklace: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale. Throughout her life, Belpré collected many other folktales from Puerto Rico. She translated them into English and had them published as children's books. Juan Bobo and the Queen's Necklace is still available today. The Pura Belpré Award is now given every year by the American Library Association. It celebrates a Latino or Latina writer and artist whose work best shows the Latino culture in books for children or young people. In 2002, the Pura Belpré Award was given to Joe Cepeda for his pictures in Juan Bobo Goes to Work.

Publishers of Juan Bobo Books

Juan Bobo children's books have been published in the U.S. and around the world. Major publishers like Harper Collins, Dutton Children's Books, and Scholastic Books have published Juan Bobo stories. These books have been reviewed by well-known publications such as Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist. Below is a list of some of the publishers who have released Juan Bobo book series.