Willy's Stories

by Anthony Browne, Anthony Browne (Illustrator)

Overview

Anthony Browne offers a glimpse at ten classic tales with the help of a library-loving chimp.

Every week, Willy walks through an ordinary-looking set of doors and straight into an adventure. Where will those doors lead him today—to a mysterious desert island with footprints in the sand? Down a deep, dark rabbit hole full of curious objects? Or perhaps aboard a pirate ship to stand face-to-face with Captain Hook? This book revisits well-known stories from:
Robinson Crusoe
Treasure Island
Robin Hood
The Tinderbox
Peter Pan
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Rapunzel
The Wind in the Willows
The Adventures of Pinocchio
Anthony Browne’s captivating illustrations, starring his trademark primates, pay tribute to the library and the wonders within.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763677619
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	11/10/2015
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 11.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Anthony Browne is a recent British Children’s Laureate and has received many awards for his work, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his services to children’s literature. He has written and illustrated more than forty books, including Little Beauty and What If . . .? Anthony Browne lives in Kent, England.

Editorial Reviews

09/07/2015
Former British Children’s Laureate Browne paints his famous chimpanzee hero Willy into 10 scenes from classic children’s literature in a bid to fire readers’ interest in them—and in the libraries where these books can be found. With text on the left-hand pages opposite one of Browne’s splendid paintings, each spread offers a plot description that ends with a cliffhanger question. Willy is seen standing in for Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and others. “I’m youth, I’m joy,” Willy-as-Peter taunts Captain Hook, reciting the boy’s famous lines. “It was all nonsense of course,” Willy continues, addressing readers, “but something very strange happened next.... What do you think it was?” In the paintings readers will discover books standing in for the rungs of ladders, walls of houses, and even seagulls. Many children will be familiar with at least some of the stories, and they will quickly learn about new ones. While less lighthearted than the winning mischief of Willy’s Pictures, Browne’s project provides a doorway into these sometimes intimidating works. Ages 5–8. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Many children will be familiar with at least some of the stories, and they will quickly learn about new ones...Browne’s project provides a doorway into these sometimes intimidating works.
—Publishers Weekly

This chimp is a worthwhile companion; young readers will no doubt answer his call.
—Kirkus Reviews

The book’s distinguished design matches the weight of the centuries of stories found within, from the marbled endpapers to the decorative initial caps leading off each episode from Robinson Crusoe, The Tinderbox, The Wind in the Willows, and more.
—School Library Journal

Browne’s paintings are in rich, full color and filled with charming visual hints, such as books that appear in unusual places, which emphasize the transformative power of imagination. A good choice for read-alouds, particularly at a library.
—Booklist

Willy the chimp is back, sharing his favorite books in a way that will stir the imaginations of the picture book audience...The book works to encourage children to explore their story-telling prowess and to introduce them to the excitement of reading.
—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

11/01/2015
K-Gr 4—The author of One Gorilla (2013) and Willy's Pictures (1999, both Candlewick) brings back chimpanzee Willy, a mild-mannered dreamer in a sweater vest, for an imaginative tour of classic Western literature. Upon entering an unmarked library, Willy immediately places himself in the heart of the action of a string of well-known tales. Each verso offers a brief, first-person retelling of a classic story, breaking off at a cliff-hanger moment to ask readers a breathless question. Browne completes each spread with his signature primate-populated and gently surreal artwork, depicting a reimagined scene from each tale. Browne peppers the mixed-media pictures with clever touches: books or pencils appear in every image, serving as swords, trees, shark teeth, and even the building material for Dorothy's tornado-swept house. The book's distinguished design matches the weight of the centuries of stories found within, from the marbled endpapers to the decorative initial caps leading off each episode from Robinson Crusoe, The Tinderbox, The Wind in the Willows, and more. Younger picture book readers will experience few thrills of recognition, most having not yet encountered Treasure Island or The Adventures of Pinocchio, but some may be inspired to investigate the originals. Older readers may identify a few of the tales, and likely everyone will enjoy predicting the next episode in each adventure. VERDICT In a paean to storytelling and imagination, Browne offers introductions to his favorite literary thrills, but it's not clear that young readers will want to explore them too.—Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY

School Library Journal

2015-09-16
Ten classic tales serve as backdrops for one primate's book-hopping adventures at a local library. Every time Willy walks through a pair of nondescript black doors, he knows to expect "something incredible" to happen on the other side. Aboard a ship he hides inside an apple barrel and overhears a sailor named Long John Silver plot for treasure and murder. In a forest, he encounters an old woman who asks him to plunge into a "very deep and very dark" hollow tree trunk to retrieve a tinderbox. Browne applies subtle stylistic differences to each world he re-creates, reimagining well-known stories for adult and child readers alike. Half the thrill arises from wondering what will come next for Willy. The subsequent momentum steadily encourages curiosity, an effect heightened when the chimp directly poses questions to readers ("Can you guess what happened next?"). Whether in Wonderland or the Wild Wood, actual books appear as trees, houses, and even the teeth of a monstrous sea creature, hinting at the underlying role of books in shaping imagination. Details specific to each story vary in degree from spread to spread, but Willy remains a constant source of amusement during every excursion. His good-humored facial expressions say more about each tale than words do. This chimp is a worthwhile companion; young readers will no doubt answer his call. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews