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Reviewed by:
  • Willie and Uncle Bill
  • Jeannette Hulick
Schwartz, Amy . Willie and Uncle Bill; written and illus. by Amy Schwartz. Holiday House, 2012. 40p. ISBN 978-0-8234-2203-6 $16.95 R 4-6 yrs.

In each of these three short stories, young Willie's uncle Bill comes to babysit him with exciting results. In the first story, Willie gives himself a haircut, and the consequent trip to the barbershop to tidy Willie's artistry results in a very short haircut indeed, making Willie's mother slightly leery about Uncle Bill's aptitude for babysitting. In the second story, Willie and Uncle Bill make Icky Stew (about as tasty as it sounds), which they end up feeding to some willing seagulls. The third story finds Uncle Bill taking pajama-clad Willie to watch (and join in with) loud rockers "The Purple Tomatoes" as they conduct a late-night rehearsal in their garage. Although parents may not quite approve of Uncle Bill's babysitting methods, Schwartz knows her young audience, and many kids will revel in Uncle Bill and Willie's mildly illicit behavior. Schwartz's short, clear sentences are easily comprehensible: "Willie and Uncle Bill played with Willie's trains. They read a few books. They launched a few rocket ships. Then they ran out of toys." Lanky, funky-haired Uncle Bill and tiny red-haired Willie are a visually appealing duo, and numerous patterns—on clothing, buildings, furniture—add interest and texture to the gouache and pen and ink illustrations, while plenty of clean white space keeps the compositions from becoming too busy. Hip aunties and uncles will be natural purchasers for this title, and kids who come to it through other routes will find themselves wishing they had an Uncle Bill as well.

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