  We review some of the recent progress on modeling planetary and stellar
dynamos. Particular attention is given to the dynamo mechanisms and the
resulting properties of the field. We present direct numerical simulations
using a simple Boussinesq model. These simulations are interpreted using the
classical mean-field formalism. We investigate the transition from steady
dipolar to multipolar dynamo waves solutions varying different control
parameters, and discuss the relevance to stellar magnetic fields. We show that
owing to the role of the strong zonal flow, this transition is hysteretic. In
the presence of stress-free boundary conditions, the bistability extends over a
wide range of parameters.
