From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2—Tilly, a goose, bathes in apple juice, wears a pancake as a hat, and likes to tickle frogs. But her ways raise the ire of the other farm animals, who demand that she cease all silliness: "No more naps in Scarecrow pants!," etc. Once she stops, however, they realize that the farm is not as much fun as it used to be. They apologize to Tilly and begin to view her antics with appreciation, sometimes even joining in. The acrylic, pencil, and ballpoint pen illustrations complement the rhyming text and do a nice job of conveying the animals' varying levels of frustration. Some pictures are laugh-out-loud funny, and readers will take delight in viewing Tilly's wacky behavior, such as when she tries to ride the farmer's cat or soaks her feet in mayonnaise. This story will appeal to children who follow the beat of their own drummers, and would work well as a read-aloud.—
Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Is Tilly too silly? This goofy goose “took her baths in apple juice. She wore a pancake for a hat. She tried to ride the farmer’s cat. She kissed a fish. Imagine that!” But Tilly’s ridiculous behavior wears thin, prompting her barnyard friends to say, “That’s enough!” So Tilly stops being silly—for a while. The farm becomes Dullsville. Hetta Hen remarks, “I haven’t laughed since Tilly chased the garbage men.” Harvey Goat adds, “Not since Tilly sneezed and blew the fleas from Farmer’s coat and set his underwear afloat.” Finally, Horse rallies the animals to apologize, and Tilly resumes her antics. The outsize, cartoonish illustrations of acrylic, pencil, and pen on linen overflow the pages and embellish the humor with details like the tiny tractors on Farmer’s boxers. If kids don’t already know the phrase “you silly goose,” they will after laughing at this performance. Preschool-Grade 2. --Julie Cummins
