That Is Not a Good Idea!

This book was hilarious! I totally didn’t expect the surprise ending! It was so good it’s hard to write about it without first stating that there is a SPOILER ALERT! so stop reading if you want to check out this book for yourself because its that good! Anyways I love the presentation of the book as a silent movie. I think that the presentation is an incredibly original concept to children’s books. I love the baby geese that interrupt and say “That is NOT a good idea!” and all along they were not warning the mother goose, but the big bad fox who was trying to trick her to come over to dinner to eat her! Great read!

This hilarious picture book, by Mo Willems (who is becoming one of my favorite children's book authors), puts a new spin on the old story of the sly fox tricking the fat goose into becoming his supper. In this story, the fox invites the goose to supper, escorting her through the deep dark woods. As she (seemingly) falls further and further into his trap, we hear a constant refrain from a chorus of chicks, who say, "That is not a good idea," which we presume is their warning to the naive goose. However, when the plot takes a delightful turn and the goose pushes the fox into his own soup pot, we realize the chicks have been warning the fox, all along.

If it's wrong to be a 25 year old, unmarried, childless adult, and to have a favorite children's author, than I don't want to be right. This is an excellent "read aloud" book. I personally like to read it with an 20's radio announcer's voice, while singing dramatic piano music before turning the page (a la silent films).

I mean, okay, there is something Willemsianly creepy about those little duckies who move from predator to prey, but enough with the "Ha ha ha, I'm gonna eat you!" You gonna feel the horror of boiling alive and the skin sloughing off your flesh as I pop your eyeball with a fork to see if you're done. I recognize that I am at a certain risk of becoming a vegan crank, but my son doesn't eat meat and stories that try to make it cute and put his conscience to rest about it are not something he needs, and sometimes clearly distress him.

A wonderful bedtime story, I had the pleasure of reading this one aloud tonight. I gave the fox a slimy and terrible faux English accent, and I gave the goose my home-grown grits, eggs, and bacon Southern best. We were roaring at the end. This one I will definitely have to buy for my little Mo Willems fanatic.

Good Gracious Maud! It's good readin'!

I love Mo Williams! This is about a fox who runs into a goose one day on the street and invites the goose to dinner. The goose accepts the offer, but others around the goose are warning him it is not a good idea. I enjoyed the layout of this book very much. I liked that the text was on the black pages of the book. The repetition of "that is NOT a good idea!" will get kids excited and more engaged with the story. The twist at the end of the story will also be very exciting and surprising for kids. The theme revolves around the dangers of meeting a stranger. It will teach children a great lesson. Reading this book with silly voices will make this a great read aloud. The illustrations truly represent the story. The character's facial show more expressions make the story even more interesting. show less

I was immediately attracted to the “silent movie” design style of presenting the prose on the stylized black frame, and only after reading it did I realize the cover illustration looks like the baby geese are watching a period film. Clever! The style automatically added to the drama of the story. I appreciated that there was more detail and period (19th century London?) style than in the “Elephant and Piggie books.” The scenes of the city, the kitchen, and the forest were all quite playful. Although the story is a variation of a common one, it is very fresh. The language is simple but it doesn’t talk down to kids. It has plenty of repetition to help early readers. This is one of those books that is so fun to read aloud in a show more “ham it up” fashion, as we all say, "that is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY NOT a good idea!" show less