Awards & Reviews

2009-2010 Alabama Camellia Award, books for K-1
2009-2010 Pennsylvania Keystone Readers Award
2009-2010 Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award
2009-2010 North Dakota Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award, nonfiction category
2009-2010 North Carolina Children’s Book Award
2010 Montana Treasure State Award
2009-2010 Colorado Children’s Book Award Runner-Up
2010 Beehive Award (Children’s Literature Association of Utah) Nominated
2010 Bill Martin, Jr. Award (Kansas Reading Association) Nominated
2011 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award Nominated
2011 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award Nominated
2011 Missouri Show Me Reader Award Nominated
2011 Children’s Crown Award Nominated
2011 Monarch Award: Illinois’ K-3 Children’s Choice Award Nominated
2011 Arkansas Diamond Award Nominated
2011 Children’s Crown Award Nominated
2011 Texas Horned Toad Tales Award Nominated
2008 ASPCA Henry Bergh Award
Southern Independent Booksellers Award
2009 IRA/CBC Children's Choice Award
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An Indie Next List Top Ten Pick
"This moving story about the importance of friendship and home highlights the plight of the hurricane's lost and left-behind animals, as well as the value of animal shelters."
--Booklist
"Two Bobbies is one powerful, heartwarming book."
--Marigny Dupuy, The Times-Picayune
"The authors lend an understated poetry to Bobbie and Bob Cat's plight... I think it helps that [the] authors are real-life best friends. Their reverence for friendship comes through in the text. Jean Cassels' watercolor (gouache) illustrations are phenomenal. Every page is a work of art... Unless you have a heart of stone, this book will bring tears to your eyes. Don't miss your chance to pick up a copy. It's a very special book."
--Jen Robinson's Book Page
"What a great story, and what a very nice children's book... I can't wait to put it in the hands of kids, teachers, animal lovers and just about everyone else. We can't forget about the fate of the Katrina survivors (and those who didn't survive) as people continue to deal with the storm and its aftereffects."
--Karen Maeda Allman, The Elliott Bay Book Company
"Out of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, a few heartening stories emerged. If not for Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery we would not have learned of the two Bobbies and their loyalty, perseverance and ultimate happy fate. More than the tale of an unlikely dog and cat friendship, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival is a children's book sure to be treasured by grown-up readers too, smitten by the redemptive story of the orphaned creatures and the humans who cared enough to come to their aid."
--Cheryl McKeon, Third Place Books
"I just read The Two Bobbies (Thank you, Bloomsbury!) and wanted to send you a quick note filled with kudos (and happy tears). May your book inspire kids and adults alike to support reconstruction efforts and adopt critters, to think globally and act locally!"
--Little Willow
"My 4-year-old loved this story because it's about two pets -- who become friends because they're stranded during Hurricane Katrina--, and their quest to find a family that loves them. It's a true and heartwarming story about sticking together."
--Kristen Simoes, Morning show Host, Sacramento and Company, News10, ABC
"Simple prose introduces two animals, a cat and a dog, that survived Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and, after four months of wandering, were rescued by the Best Friends Animal Society. The narrative is obviously part supposition as the original owners were never found, despite efforts to locate them. Since both pets had bobbed tails, a shelter volunteer named them Bob Cat and Bobbi, hence the book's title. It was soon discovered that Bob Cat was blind, making his survival even more amazing and underscoring the idea that the two critters relied on one another during their ordeal. The terrifying event is told about in a matter-of-fact way, with the text concentrating on the "feel good" aspect of the two Bobbies. The gouache illustrations, done in soft pastel shades, present realistic glimpses of the devastated city that serve as a backdrop for the animals' struggles. An afterword includes a photo and additional information. An excellent introduction to Katrina for young children, this touching animal tale memorializes a modern catastrophe and pays tribute to the many volunteers who traveled to New Orleans to help.."
--School Library Journal