When Willy went to the wedding,

by Judith Kerr

No one wanted Willy's pets to attend his sister's wedding but they came anyway.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

41 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 1973

About the author

Judith Kerr was a German-born British writer and illustrator who has created both enduring picture books such as the Mog series and The Tiger Who Came To Tea and acclaimed novels for older children such as the autobiographical When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit which give a child's-eye view of the Second World War.

Kerr was born in Berlin but left Germany with her parents and her brother, Michael, in 1933, soon after the Nazis first came to power. They were forced to leave as her father, noted drama critic, journalist and screenwriter Alfred Kerr, had openly criticised the Nazis,who burned his books shortly after the family had fled Germany. They travelled first to Switzerland and then on into France, before finally settling in Britain, where Kerr has lived ever since. She subsequently became a naturalised British citizen.

Reviews

[Sehrish]

I came across this book during SBT1 when my collaborative partner read it to the children as a holding activity. The children found it very amusing and were engaged with the story. Willy had lots of pets and he was told he's not allowed to bring his pets to his sister's wedding despite keeping the promise of not bringing his beloved pets; his dog, cat,3 kittens, they some how manage to find a way in to the church turning it into a disaster, however at the end all the pets are allowed in the wedding photo even his goldfish and frog! I really enjoy Judith Kerr's books which are mostly about animals with people. They teach children to appreciate animals and think about their feelings.
This story was perfect for the year two they found it hilarious and it lead to discussion about taking their pets to a wedding. Animals and people are put alongside each other which allows the children to think about the animals feelings as all the pets wanted to come to the wedding and that's why they all end up there.
This book would be suitable for Early Years to KS 1, it could be read during story time or teaching children about their pets and animals.

[Ange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I really liked this book. I liked that Willy held his sister's veil as she walked down the aisle. Boys can attend brides just as well as girls! I liked that his sister's new husband was happy to have Willy's pets in the photographs. A little bit of flexibility goes a long way and Willy was lucky that his sister was no Bridezilla!

[Charlotte Whiteing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny little story.
That will probably be it for Judith kerr for a while. It was just for a uni project and now I'm just reading them for fun.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder what goes on in my kindergartener's head on library day at school. No matter how varied his choices from week to week, each choice is so obviously a little window inside his head. This book clearly is.

[Ada Soto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking as an adult this is a cute book, better than a lot of picture books, worse than others. According to my father I absolutely loved this book as a kid, made him read it a thousand times, and he swears he can still recite most of it from memory.