Customer Reviews

Where Willy Went

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Under normal circumstances I am an extraordinarily poised and respectable person. I do not chew with my mouth open. I do not pick my nose in public. And if someone says "bless you" when I sneeze I offer the obligatory "thank you" in response. All that went out the window the minute I saw the cover for "Where Willy Went". I stared. Then I screwed up my eyes and tried as hard as I possibly could to make sense of the image. A pollywog in goggles? A flagellum in some kind of a race? My eyes trailed downwards to the byline, "The big story of a little sperm" and I let out a truly unladylike guffaw right there in the middle of the bookstore. Oh, that is rich, I thought. That is an example of a book that just does not care if ban-crazy parents like it or hate it. It's doing its own thing and devil take the hindmost. You have to respect its plucky can-do attitude. Whether you appreciate its writing is another story.

"Willy was a little sperm". If you can get past that sentence then you're doing well. Living contentedly in Mr. Browne, Willy was an excellent swimmer. Alongside every other sperm he longed to win The Great Swimming Race. He practiced constantly in the hope of beating the 300 million competitors. When the Race begins (off-screen and tastefully) Willy wins hands-down and burrows into the egg. The egg becomes a babe, the babe is born and named Edna (it's anyone's guess as to why), and, like Willy, Edna has no head for numbers, "but she was VERY good at swimming". One prays that kids will not then immediately believe that she too will be practicing for a similar Great Swimming Race anytime soon.

What it all boils down to is what you want out of your "how are babies born" picture books. The standard go-to guide that's been a consistent favorite for at least twenty years now is Joanna Cole's continually updated, "How You Were Born". That's the book that parents go to if they want photographs and clear-cut answers to explaining the beginning of life. Cole is the author who takes care to clear up common childhood misconceptions. Common childhood misconceptions are the name of the game when it comes to that other big-name baby book, "Mommy Laid An Egg", by Babette Cole. That book shoots younger than "How You Were Born" but forgoes the whole anatomically correct requirement. Like "Mommy Laid An Egg", "Where Willy Went" (NOT written by anyone with the last name Cole, thank goodness) also shoots for young young kids. The book was not written to explain the ins and outs (ho ho!) of sex. It does not dwell on correct terminology or scientific terms. It's a starter sex book. This is the book you hand the kid when they ask where babies come from but you're not completely comfortable outlining the mechanics of the act. My husband took one look at this book and described it as a new kind of "stork" book, and that pretty much hits the nail on the head. Obviously real sperm do not compete. They do not learn math or don eyewear. So this is a cartoonish glimpse into sex for the little children. Once they've grasped this much, they then would move onto "How You Were Born" a couple years later. Then, when they're tweens, you just hand them a copy of "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie H. Harris and pat yourself on the back for being such an upfront parent.

There are definite problems with "Where Willy Went", granted. For one thing, the anatomical maps of Mr. and Mrs. Browne are fraught with peril. Mr. Brown comes off better. In him we get a map of his body that shows the location of the sperm in the testes (no words like "testes" appear in the book, unfortunately) and the path they take to get out. Fair enough. Mrs. Browne, on the other hand, has a rather bizarre map. For a kid that didn't know any better, they'd probably be correct in assuming that women like Mrs. Brown also have penises. Though it is labeled "Tummy" in a hard-to-read script, Mrs. Brown's side view is so poorly drawn that kids could be forgiven for getting completely confused by the shot. On the next page there is a tastefully drawn picture of two lumps under bedsheets which, while no raunchier than a game of Sims, doesn't explain in the least how the couple "joined together" to begin The Great Swimming Race. It's a definite improvement over "Mommy Laid An Egg"'s bizarre kama sutra-like silly pictures, but absolutely uninformative.

But maybe you're into sex books for kids being vague on this act. Everyone has their preferences. What "Where Willy Went" lacks in directions it makes up for in sure gusto. This is a how-to book of sex that knows what it wants to say and says it. It wouldn't offend a flea and is probably one of the sillier sperm books on the market today. Obviously if facts are your primary concern, go get yourself the newest edition of "How You Were Born". If, on the other hand, you just want to give an overall summary of the baby-making process, this will probably be your best bet. A fun book that's lacking in some respects, but is hard to resist otherwise.

It's inevitable that you'll get the "where do babies come from" question at some point in your child's first five or six years. You could use the old story about the stork, or you could bring in Willy to help you out.

It's a sweet book, and though it does show some matter-of-fact illustrations of Mr. and Mrs. Browne and their parts, it's never in a gross-out kind of way. It's quite anatomical (with a cheeky map of where Willy will have to go - no actual sex depicted, thankfully), and yet tells it all as if you're reading about any little silly character a book author might make up. It's a non-confrontational method of telling the story - you know, when you have to.

This will be the one I, too, use for my son when he "pops" the question. After looking through about a dozen books on the subject, this was the only one that was both correct and didn't make me squirmish. Mr. and Mrs. Browne actually look like people who might want to make babies with one another (not that my son will know, but I got pretty grossed out looking at the "daddy" in one of the older books at my local bookstore - were he my husband, there would BE no sex and no baby). It's probably the least frightening possible answer and keeps the daddies laughing. Hey, maybe I'll give the book to my husband and let HIM take care of the issue when it comes around.

Willy Brown's a sperm. Yes, a sperm. One of 300 million, in fact, though he has trouble counting that high. That's okay, all he needs is one talent: to wag his microscopic tail faster than his rivals. There's a chuckle a page in this frank - but not graphic - first book about sex.

Allen leaves just enough details to the imagination to make this a safe read even for squeamish parents. His warmth and humor add to the sense of magic about what happens after Willy makes the Great Swim from Mr. to Mrs. Brown.

Where Willy Went is recommended and formatted for ages 4-8 but seems much better suited to pre-teens - perhaps 8-12.

The tongue-in-cheek humor seems like it would be lost on the younger group and, although there are no actual sexual acts depicted, a few of the illustrations may cause confusion for younger children. The female body, in particular, is made to look more like a peninsula (the vagina is not clearly defined) and while the map-like quality of the male and female bodies is quite clever, it is a bit misleading.

There is no doubt I enjoyed this story of the little sperm Willy and his excellent swimming skills immensely and would consider it a great "gag" gift for any wedding shower, engagement party, etc.

It would also be a great tension breaker when discussing biological aspects of reproduction with 8-12 year olds but will definately require elaboration and parental assistance.

I work as a counselor, and often times meet with young teens/tweens and/or cognitively impaired young folks. This book is very colorful, not raunchy at all, and still puts a smile on your face, all while educating the reader about the basic functions of reproduction. Helping a young person understand why they get physically aroused can sometimes be awkward, but having this book around as a tool sure helps in those difficult cases. The story line itself is actually rather funny as well, so everyone can laugh, and not feel tense when reading the book. My 9 year old daughter found the book on the table when I got it home and went through it. She gave me a funny look, and asked me what it was, after she had read it. I snickered, but explained it to her, and now she is much more comfortable with the entire topic. I didn't intent for my 9 year old to see it, but I believe she handled it rather well. Maybe that can help you decide wether or not your child is at the appropriate age for sexual education. If nothing else, it's a fun story!

The book I received was in perfect condition and the price was well below local bookstore prices.

This is THE book I will show to my child, the first time they ask where do babies come from?
Humorous and Sweet.
Shouldnt offend the RightWing Zealots :)

While on a shopping spree, my sister-in-laws(3 of them) and a friend of mine, and I found this book in a child's section of a high priced botique that was selling glass ornaments at $50.00 a pop. I am not too shy about explaining stuff to my three kids(ages 5,4, and 3), I will say that I would rather explain to them the actual going ons to the event of baby making when they ask, then to show them this book. While, we laughed until we snorted and people looked at us in this shop like we were lepers that had our noses falling off, all 5 of us agreed that this book was better for a gag gift for newlyweds than it was for teaching our children where babies come from and what exactly takes place. Between the 5 of us we have 12 children ranging in ages from 13 down to 18 months. I think that this poor book tells it too simple and that children are much smarter than what we think that they are and that we should give them some credit for that and explain things the right way and not end our story with how Willy the little sperm wasn't good at counting and neither was the little girl that came from him winning the Great Swimming Race.
But, I will tell you that we still get a kick and start laughing till we snort every time one of us says " Where Willy Went".

i bought this book for a friend of mine. I saw it at my school bookstore and thought it was great. the pictures and captions are just right