Publishers Weekly
Yankovic and Hargis balance earnestness with goofiness in a story that pits the mundane against the incredible. On the first day of class, Billy arrives with more stories than a skyscraper, and his glowering new teacher’s objections only egg him on. As his yarns grow increasingly preposterous (“I just went on vacation with my dad and mom/ To an island somewhere between Norway and Guam/ Where the blueberry muffins grow right on the trees,/ And you flip inside out every time that you sneeze”), Mr. Booth attempts to restore order, and Billy responds with a defense of unconventional thinkers (Marie Curie, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi make cameos) like himself. Ages 4–8. (July)
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—On the first day of school, Billy's curmudgeonly teacher reprimands him. "You! Young man! Why's that filth on your shirt?/You can't come in my classroom all covered with dirt!" Billy engagingly explains that while digging to China before school he found a dinosaur skull and had no time to clean up. Unimpressed by Billy's imaginative tale, Mr. Booth listens in disbelief as the boy, much to his classmates' delight, spins more "highly unlikely" stories, involving two-headed cows, his grandfather's walk on the Moon, and a fantastic island vacation. Billy refuses to admit his tales are untrue, saying, "I'll bet every great thinker and leader we've got/Could see all kinds of things other people could not!" Mr. Booth sends him to the principal's office, but as Billy heads for the door, a photo slips from his book. It's a gift for the teacher. Staring at the picture of Billy with a two-headed cow, Mr. Booth relents. Happy to have avoided the principal, Billy realizes that he and Mr. Booth will get along just fine and will learn a lot from each other during the school year. Written in clever rhymes, this second title starring amiable Billy has eye-catching watercolor, pencil, and digital acrylic illustrations. The fun-filled spreads add hilarious and imaginative details to the story. Pair this entertaining book with Ella Hudson's Hudson Hates School (Frances Lincoln, 2011).—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA
Kirkus Reviews
A by-the-rules teacher and a tall-tale–telling student don't see eye to eye on the first day of school in Yankovic's rhyming salute to the power of the imagination. Observant readers will notice right away that Mr. Booth is an uptight kind of guy: The rules everywhere are a big clue. Sure enough, the teacher singles out narrator Billy immediately, asking why he is so filthy. The answer? Billy was digging to China and unearthed a dinosaur skull. When Mr. Booth calls him on his bluff, Billy goes on to relate more stories, each more elaborate and far-fetched than the last. But in the end, Mr. Booth gets some proof that maybe Billy isn't telling such tall tales after all, proof that he hangs on the wall as a reminder. While kids will certainly get into the spirit and fun of the book, Billy gets a bit preachy, though nonetheless inspirational, toward the end: "I'll bet every great thinker and leader we've got / Could see all kinds of things other people could not! / So then why get upset if somebody like me / Tries to look at the world just a bit differently?" The ending is just open-ended enough to make readers wonder about the veracity of Billy's tales. Hargis' watercolor, pencil and digital acrylic illustrations are brightly colored and full of tiny details for readers to pore over. Sure to feed imaginations. (Picture book. 4-8)
