This book is filled with the adventure that Willy experiences when reading his books from the library. Anthony Browne gives great detail to each story so the reader can guess which fairytale the author is describing. Reading is an adventure and I think Anthony Browne does a wonderful job in engaging our imagination. ( )

Great little read introducing a bunch of chapter books - almost like a series of book talks for the elementary school crowd. ( )

Once a week Willy the chimp visits a very special place, one where any number of amazing adventures occur. Walking through the doors, Willy finds himself aboard pirate ships, stranded on desert islands, climbing mysterious towers in the forest, or carried aloft (inside a gray house) by cyclones. In short, Willy finds himself at the library, where his favorite books transport him to many strange new worlds and many wonderful experiences.

As someone who grew up absolutely adoring Crosby Bonsall's early reader Tell Me Some More..., in which one boy tells another about an amazing place where seemingly impossible things occur - a wondrous place otherwise known as the library - I was pretty much guaranteed to find Willy's Stories appealing. I was simply charmed by the series of story-descriptions, which allow the reader to guess the books from which they come. The final illustration depicts Willy holding a pile of books, with the titles of all of the stories referenced throughout, so those unable to guess will still have a means of finding out. The artwork, done in mixed media, is colorful and immensely engaging, using book images throughout to reinforce the idea that each story/adventure that Willy is describing comes from the pages of a book. Highly recommended to all fans of Anthony Browne's work, and to anyone looking for children's stories about the library, or about the power of stories and imaginative play. ( )

Willy's Stories is a phenomenal example of inter-literary references done right. Each page boasts a full-color illustration depicting pivotal moments from classic children's literature. Except, instead of the original human characters, gorillas are featured. Because gorillas, obviously. The thematic familiarity of classic works juxtaposed with this whimsical adaption makes for a very refreshing, interesting read.

The only aspect I am not really crazy about is the absence of the fourth wall, which I think was implemented rather clumsily. At the end of every story, the audience is specifically invited to speculate what happens next in the story, e,g. "what do you think happened then?" In this manner, it's excellent for specifically assigning writing prompts to kids. Since we home school, this aspect of the book will be of utility as our kiddos get older; I just would have preferred the prompts implemented with greater finesse, à la Ballad or The Whisper - both of which encourage audiences to fill in story gaps and provide their own continuation, respectively, but without any of the characters addressing readers directly. Just my personal preference for that one.

Age-wise, this was very well-received by my 4-year-old. He was not familiar with all of the stories referenced so, instead of speculating about the stories along the same veins as the original classics, he tied each one to its predecessor. E.g., when asked about the nature of the footprint from Robinson Crusoe, he decided it was probably one of the pirates from the subsequent Treasure Island page, etc. So, do not let something as silly as age recommendations deter you from this purchase. ( )

Of course a new Willy book by Anthony Browne is always welcome.  And adult readers will have fun trying to identify each classic book the Willy touts.  But really that's all this is, is a collection of book-talks about old books that really aren't all going to appeal to today's children.  Well, I suppose classrooms and libraries are buying it, and if each copy turns just one child into a more avid reader it'll be worth it.   ( )