Simply Ridiculous

Kelly L. Green is editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual’s
Children’s Literature edition.

Willy is perhaps the silliest young man who ever lived. When his wife
tells him she is going to have a child, Willy is dying to know what kind
of child it will be, and so visits a nearby wise man to find out (taking
along a cow for a gift, of course). The wise man, after much rumination,
announces that the child will be either a boy or a girl. Hugely
relieved, Willy returns to announce his findings to his wife. Of course,
this is not the end of the story—Willy must return to the wise man and
ask his help again, and have several more adventures before we reach the
simply ridiculous ending. I can’t say more without revealing too much
of this enchanting picture book, which must be read to be appreciated.

Davis has retold this wonderful folk tale with charm and humor. The
text and Russ Willms’s extravagantly bright, elongated illustrations
work beautifully together to reinforce the unwaveringly silly giddiness
of the story, especially on the pages where pictures seem to leap
unbidden into spaces reserved for black-and-white text. Willms’s work
creates the illusion that one is walking through a crazy fantasy world
rather than reading a story. This book made one young audience laugh out
loud upon first reading. Highly recommended.