Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem

by Adam Rex and Mac Barnett

Book Overview

An uproarious cautionary tale from bestselling picture book phenoms Mac Barnett and Adam Rex

Some interesting facts about blue whales: A blue whale is longer than thirty dogs lined up nose to tail. Its tongue weighs as much as four hundred cats. Consequently, blue whales make terrible pets...just ask Billy Twitters. When his parents threaten to teach him responsibility by giving him a whale, Billy isn't worried: 'It's not like you...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786849584
• ISBN13: 9780786849581
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 11.0" x 10.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Fed-UPS is worth it

I have shared an illustration in this book with so many FedEx and UPS guys - the one where they're trying to figure out how the heck they're going to deliver a whale to a residential address - that I could cherish this book for that alone. But it's a clever story, too, with a good kinda-surprise ending. Great for grownups as well as kids.

Dave Eggers reads this book to his daughter. Enough said.

After his mother's pleas to clean his room, etc. fall on deaf ears, a "FedUp" truck (Delivering Punishment Worldwide, it reads on the side) pulls up in front of Billy Twitters' house. Needless to say, it's carrying an extremely large delivery. And so goes Billy's hilarious foray into Learning to Be Responsible. Not only does he have to wash his whale, wax his whale, and check his whale for barnacles, but he has to take his whale to school, wrestle his whale, race his whale, and take his whale to the park. Whew. Adam Rex's illustrations are unforgettable as usual (if you've never seen The Dirty Cowboy, check it out immediately), and the suspension of disbelief throughout the story is inspired. No one ever asks "why?" or "how?" It's just understood: You get a blue whale, you drag it to school on your bike. Lovely.

So Much Fun!

This book will have readers of all ages laughing hysterically at Billy Twitters' predicament. Younger kids will love the silly illustrations and the wonderful details of childhood, while their parents will also appreciate the book's sly sense of humor. Don't forget to order your own Blue Whale - just check inside the dust jacket.

This book is GREAT!

What if Mom and Dad taught you responsibility by giving you a pet-- Whale!? This book is GREAT! It takes exaggeration literally, and goes big, stretching reality in a way that reminds me of Roald Dahl. The book nudges the Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Danny and the Dinosaur genre, and says, really? Doesn't a pet that big smell pretty foul? And isn't it pretty inconvenient feeding your pet, say, 10,000 gallons of sea water daily? I laugh aloud every time I read it. The illustrations are vast, vivid, and just as clever as the text. Don't miss the special offer under the dust jacket! "Send us a self-addressed, stamped envelope (we call it a S.A.S.E.!) and we'll send you a blue whale. What?! My S.A.S.E. is in the mail!

GREAT Book and SO Original!!

I just bought this book for our 7 year old son and not only does he love it, but so does his 4 year old sister! Since we got it, she's been asking me to read it to her every night at bedtime! What an original story and the illustrations are fantastic! The story is something that the kids find amusing but, at the same time, it's educational. Even I learned some new things about blue whales!! Bottom line...this book has something for everyone of all ages. I highly recommend it!