Willems, whose Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs also operated on a balance of threat and humor, models this suspenseful picture book after a silent movie. The sequence concerns a dastardly villain, played by a smirking fox in a top hat, and an ingenue, played by a coy duck in a blue headscarf. The fox invites the sweet-looking duck “for a stroll.” When she agrees, he asks, “Would you care to continue our walk into the deep, dark woods?” “Sounds fun!” she answers. Each time the duck accepts the fox’s invitations, an increasingly alarmed audience of six yellow peeps pops up to shout some version of the title: “That is not a good idea!” This being a Willems vehicle, a sudden twist reveals which character the peeps have been addressing all along. Cinematic conventions, like neatly framed white-on-black intertitles and gauzy iris-eye close-ups of the eyelash-batting heroine, join allusions to classics like “Henny Penny,” Rosie’s Walk, and perhaps even Mighty Mouse. Trust Willems to blend silents, animation, and comics for a wickedly droll poultry-in-peril yarn. Ages 4–8. Agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (Apr.)
This charmer is lovingly composed as an homage to silent movies and the concept of picture books as the ‘theater of the lap.’ Children and adults will relish being taken for such a thrilling, suspenseful ride again and again.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Trust Willems to blend silents, animation, and comics for a wickedly droll poultry-in-peril yarn.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“There’s a trifecta of reading possibilities here: an energetic storytime, a read-alone, and a raucous readers’ theater.” — Horn Book (starred review)
“A new offering of guaranteed laughs from three-time Caldecott-honoree Willems….Pure glee.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Kids will clamor for a re-viewing and be pleased to note that the book cleverly sets itself up for the story going either way. This is also a delight to voice, with the goslings particularly enjoyable to act out.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS: “Willems has delivered his very best work so far-this is a tasty treat for kids already fluent with the original, and for any fan of funny, and everybody will want to read it again and again and again.” — Booklist (starred review)
Praise for GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS: “With a sense of irony (and humor) as sharp as this dinosaur trio’s talons, Willems’s retelling is a sure bet for audiences who have moved beyond more gently witty fare.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS: “This is pure Mo Willems, from the many visual gags in the cleanly drawn illustrations and the tight, tongue-in-cheek story line to the endpapers .... Readers of all ages will find much to chuckle about in this wacky retelling.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
Praise for GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS: “On every page, the text winks broadly at readers, first pointing to and then playing with conventions of folklore, narrative voice, literary foreshadowing, and plain old common sense.” — Horn Book (starred review)
Praise for HOORAY FOR AMANDA AND HER ALLIGATOR: “Amusing and heartwarming, it will leave Willems’s fans totally satisfied.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
Praise for HOORAY FOR AMANDA AND HER ALLIGATOR: “Six and a half short stories make up this expertly paced page-turner about a girl and her toy alligator, laced with the kid-centric humor on which Willems has built his career. ” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for HOORAY FOR AMANDA AND HER ALLIGATOR: “The pacing, word volume and wide trim size are all inviting and encouraging, bringing readers close to the cozy friendship between Amanda and her impatient stuffed friend. ” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for HOORAY FOR AMANDA AND HER ALLIGATOR!: “Willems knows how to keep things interesting and his audience engaged.” — Horn Book (starred review)
Praise for GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS: “Willems has delivered his very best work so far-this is a tasty treat for kids already fluent with the original, and for any fan of funny, and everybody will want to read it again and again and again.
Booklist (starred review)
There’s a trifecta of reading possibilities here: an energetic storytime, a read-alone, and a raucous readers’ theater.
Horn Book (starred review)
Kids will clamor for a re-viewing and be pleased to note that the book cleverly sets itself up for the story going either way. This is also a delight to voice, with the goslings particularly enjoyable to act out.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Kids will clamor for a re-viewing and be pleased to note that the book cleverly sets itself up for the story going either way. This is also a delight to voice, with the goslings particularly enjoyable to act out.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for HOORAY FOR AMANDA AND HER ALLIGATOR!: “Willems knows how to keep things interesting and his audience engaged.
Praise for GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS: “Willems has delivered his very best work so far-this is a tasty treat for kids already fluent with the original, and for any fan of funny, and everybody will want to read it again and again and again.
Praise for GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS: “Willems has delivered his very best work so far-this is a tasty treat for kids already fluent with the original, and for any fan of funny, and everybody will want to read it again and again and again.”
%COMM_CONTRIB%Booklist (starred review)
K-Gr 3—This charmer is lovingly composed as an homage to silent movies and the concept of picture books as the "theater of the lap." Readers will become totally involved as they watch, along with several chicks, a drama unfolding, certain to end in tragedy. A gentlemanly fox and a demure, peasantlike goose meet. The setting is an old European city reminiscent of Budapest or Amsterdam, replete with fin de siècle gas lamps, stone-arch bridges, and wrought-iron terraces, executed in signature matte hues and strong lines (the chicks, though, are bright yellow). Heightened expressions dramatize their meeting, and it is desire at first sight. "What luck! Dinner!" reads the ornate intertitle (white type on a black background) on the following spread. In this way, the well-mannered fox proposes a series of formal invitations, "Would you care to…," leading the goose step-by-step into his "nearby kitchen." It is a study in pacing. Each time the goose accepts, "Hmm…sure!"; "Sounds fun!" again via intertitles, the action stops and the baby geese cry out (and flap) more and more trepidatiously: "That is NOT a good idea!" Young listeners will get involved and cry out, too. The wily goose's actions, defying common sense, arrive at an absolutely unexpected and riotous surprise ending. Children and adults will relish being taken for such a thrilling, suspenseful ride again and again.—Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City
A new offering of guaranteed laughs from three-time Caldecott-honoree Willems. From the cover to the cast credits to the title page, the story presents itself as a movie in book form, observed not only by readers, but by a gaggle of excitable goslings. The action begins when a dapper fox and a plump goose meet—successfully establishing the field of a traditional tale. Dialogue between the characters, showcased as ornately framed white text against a page-filling black background, harkens back to the design of silent films. Double-page spreads picture an increasing number of goslings gazing out at readers and admonishing, "That is NOT a good idea!" as the wide-eyed goose follows the fox from the city to his home in the woods. The goslings' antics grow progressively frantic—and hilarious—as their warnings increase in intensity. The climax proves that appearances can be deceiving, as the anticipated conclusion is turned on its head. Using signature bold lines, Willems' illustrations are as satisfyingly expressive and comic as his previous work featuring fowl (his pigeon makes a cameo appearance here, though not an obvious one). Exceptionally observant readers may anticipate the twist, but that won't spoil the enjoyment of this fun-loving fractured fable. Minimal text makes this book ideal for read-alouds and discussions of fable and fairy-tale motifs. Pure glee. (Picture book. 3-8)
