Billy's Bucket [Hardcover]

Kes Gray (Author), Garry Parsons (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0763621277 | ISBN-13: 978-0763621278

A fantastical birthday story reminds us never to underestimate the power of an empty bucket - or a child’s imagination!

Billy’s birthday is coming, and there’s only one thing he wants. It’s not a computer game, or new sneakers, or a shiny new bike - it’s a bucket, and just one special bucket will do. Billy knows it when he sees it, and sure enough, when he fills it with water, he discovers a magnificent world of sea creatures inside! "You must never ever borrow my bucket," Billy warns his mom and dad. But do they listen? Children will cheer - and parents take heed - at this magical tale of a very determined boy who knows what he wants and has the faith and creativity to get it.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Billy wants a bucket for his birthday and, deflecting his parents' offers of a bike or computer, selects the perfect one from "Buckets R Us." When he fills it with water and peeks in, he is amazed to see a host of underwater flora and fauna as well as a submarine and scuba divers-all to his father's and mother's winking amusement. Before his bedtime, they teasingly ask if they may borrow his toy, and the child insists that they "must never ever ever" do so. The next morning, he finds that his dad has taken the bucket to wash the car and emptied the water-and a whale-into the street. This tribute to the power of imagination is rhythmically told with a broad sense of exaggeration in both text and art. Billy's insistence on the plainest of gifts reflects the real-life whims of ordinary children; the bottom-of-the-bucket eye view of the action will tickle their fancies, and they will appreciate the struggles of a child trying to convince a parent of an "imaginary" occurrence. The playful, acrylic cartoon illustrations feature bold lines and perspectives and are barely contained on the pages. This whale of a tale will find a ready audience of bucketeers whether shared one-on-one or in a group.
Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. When Billy requests a bucket for his birthday present, his parents take him to the local bucket megastore, where he carefully chooses the right one. At home, he puts water in it and peers inside, reporting that he sees crabs, seaweed, a shark, and a barracuda, two submarines, and possibly a mermaid. His parents humor him, but tease that they may need to borrow his present for household chores. Billy adamantly refuses to share it: "You must never ever borrow my bucket!" When Father uses the bucket to wash the car, he creates a problem that takes six hours, four cranes, three fire engines, and a shoehorn to set right. Children will find the climax satisfying as well as laugh-aloud funny. The jaunty acrylic paintings show up well from a distance, making this witty, offbeat picture book an entertaining choice for reading to groups. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763621277
• ISBN-13: 978-0763621278
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Substitute teachers' dream book., November 8, 2005

By 

T. Jones - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Billy's Bucket (Hardcover)

I am a substitute teacher and I take this book with me every time I sub. This book belongs to my five year old son and he loves to have this book read to him, but I steal it and take it when I work. I have read it to students of all ages and it is always a hit. I use it for a reward or just sometimes to relax and listen to a good story. I found it interesting that Fifth graders like this story as much as Kindergartners. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read to kids.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very cute & imaginitive, June 23, 2005

By 

J. LISLE - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Billy's Bucket (Hardcover)

I love stories that show a child how to be imaginitive and this one does. Billy sees the most amazing things in his bucket. My son (3) loved this one right off the bat. My only negative, the ending seems a bit disjointed. Everything is flowing along well, and then BAM ending. There's no intro or explanation to the ending, I always find myself explaining what happened to my son. It's just not quite clear. Fun art.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Billy's Bucket is a BLAST, September 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Billy's Bucket (Hardcover)

I am a public librarian and do, at a minimum, three storytimes a week for preschoolers. This week that amounted to about 80 children and they LOVED Billy's Bucket!! It was so much fun to read and the kids loved that the dad was the one who was in trouble because he didn't listed to Billy. What a hoot!