Saturday, October 31, 2015

Willy's Stories (2015)

Willy's Stories. Anthony Browne. 2015. Candlewick. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Every week I walk through these doors and something incredible happens. I go on amazing adventures. Come with me and I'll show you...

Premise/plot: Willy loves to read. Willy loves going to the library and finding new books and new adventures. Actually, many of the books he reads are not exactly "new." This picture book celebrates classic adventure stories. How many do you recognize?

My thoughts: I like this one very much. I love the idea behind it. I think this is a great picture book for older readers. Not so much for younger readers. Each two-page spread celebrates a book, usually an adventure novel or a fantasy. One page is fully illustrated. The other is text-heavy. (It's not bad for a picture book to be text-heavy, especially in this case, but it does make it more appropriate for older readers, mid-to-upper elementary at least.) I think my favorite part was how each page asks a question of readers inviting them to join in the conversation. Readers might be inspired to write about their own favorite books and stories. And if they are at all creative or artistic, they might try drawing scenes from their favorite books. 

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

Joy Weese Moll (@joyweesemoll) said...

I love books about books. I would have liked having this book as a kid so that I knew about more great books to read.