Willy el tímido

Willy

by Anthony Browne

El colorido, la magia, las líneas que amalgaman fuerza y sutileza salidas de la pluma, del pincel de Anthony Browne hacen una extraordinaria exploración a través del humor y los sentimientos más conmovedores de sus personajes, exploración conducida por el humor, la fantasía y la reflexión.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, School, Humor, Fantasy

36 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Anthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy and Little Beauty. He lives in Kent, England.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Wendy Swain · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea of having to go to body building and get big muscles to deal with bullies is an outdated concept. I think today we would yeah Willy to be proud of who he was rather than changing for others.

[Shina Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encontre este libro de casualidad, estaba mirando un vídeo en YouTube y en recomendaciones me salio el vídeo de PiyoASMR donde nos leía este libro, y pues escuche el libro.
El libro no es nada del otro mundo, pero esta cute y entretenido.

[Catherine Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in Spanish for Primary level. This book translates very well as it has simple sentences and the illustrations would really help the children to understand the story.

The story is about Willy the gorilla, who is a bit of a wimp. He decides to 'beef up' as he is fed up of being called a wimp, so he does this. Can he change though?

The illustrations are beautiful and really make the story come alive, and although children of primary level would not understand all the Spanish language and the sentence structure, it would be a fantastic book to read to younger KS2 students who were learning Spanish.

I feel that this is something I missed out on learning languages; actually reading real texts rather than dated Spanish novels.

The book would be excellent to read as a class, as a teacher could really accentuate the words and language, and help explain the story to the children. It could also be a talking point about friendship, and you could introduce some basic characteristics vocabulary from this book.

[Lauren Drake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Willy who is branded a wimp by bullies. He takes up a new diet and bodybuilding, amongst other things, to help him stop being bullied. This is shown to be successful at the end of the book. Despite this book addressing issues with bullying, it also says that in order to stop being bullied you need to change. This is not true and therefore i don't think children should be taught that it is. Due to this, i probably wouldn't personally use this book in my classroom.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Anthony Browne's books and knew Willy the Wimp was a classic we didn't have on our shelves. Now that I have it, I'm not sure about it. I'm not convinced about the message contained within how Willie deals with the bullies. The last few panels indicate this might be a message about self-esteem/confidence, rather than changing yourself, but probably too subtle for younger readers.

[Aiysha Ilyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Browne's book 'Willy the Wimp' addresses issues of bullying regarding personality and physical appearance. Willy is not represented as a human but as a gorilla which is classic Browne style, as he uses an animal that entails human characteristics to allow the reader to relate. The viewpoint of the reader remains at a fixed level which encourages the reader to travel along the progression of Willy. Additionally, Browne's use of the stereotype 'Wimp' suggests the implied reader would know what this means.

However, children may find this book humorous through the pictures portrayed by Browne. The pictures and colour offered 'something which gives form to ideas and to which we can attach our ideas' (Doonan, 1993, p.7). This can be seen in Browne's representation of Willy's change in physical appearance. Willy starts off crouched down, with sadness in his face and a pale-coloured vest in opposition to the end where he is standing up, stretched out, has a happy expression and his vest is bright red. This is portrayed both through the illustration and words as the words follow Willy's journey as he gets bigger, which is emphasised in capital's 'and BIGGER!' when he has reached his final stage.

A key message that children can draw from this book is that there is always room for improvement but this does not change who you are. This is represented in the ending which emphasises that although Willy's appearance had changed, he still had the same personality.

[Sally Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Willy the Wimp” is a humorous story written by Anthony Browne, which will appeal to all children due to its wittiness and hidden meaning behind the story.
The story tells the story of meek and timid monkey called Willie, who is continuously picked on by older bullies who nickname him ‘Willy the Wimp’. Willy therefore seeks out to change and to lose his label of being a ‘wimp,’ When he sees an advertisement for body building lessons, he pursues his ambition to make a change in his life and to ultimately stand up for himself and for him to no longer be pushed around by bullies. In the story you see Willy go from being a meek young monkey, into a strong young adult who can defend himself and those he loves.
This book shows children, that they can make little changes to their lifestyle in order for them to be at ease with themselves and to feel more worthy of themselves in their own skin. Willy the wimp is an inspiring story for children to read, as well as being illustrated to a high standard, so children can imagine the story unfolding before their eyes. Children will ultimately enjoy reading this story and will want to read it time and time again, a story which will never get boring.

[Razaak Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a hilarious book and one that a 6-7 year old child will enjoy reading. For the most part, the language used is very simple and also has lots of colourful pictures inside to accompany the text. The excellent use of alliteration in the title has perhaps been used by Browne to gain the attention of young children. Some words, such as "suburban" and "advertisement", would present difficulties for children of the age-range that this book is aimed at and so it would be a great story to read to children at bedtime, where an adult would be present to explain what some words mean.

Whilst the book addresses the topic of bullying, which is relevant for children it also has an ending that many children, I'd presume would laugh out loud at and would leave them asking whether Willy has gone back to being a wimp again.

[Ricardo Espinoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a hilarious book and one that a 6-7 year old child will enjoy reading. For the most part, the language used is very simple and also has lots of colourful pictures inside to accompany the text. The excellent use of alliteration in the title has perhaps been used by Browne to gain the attention of young children. Some words, such as "suburban" and "advertisement", would present difficulties for children of the age-range that this book is aimed at and so it would be a great story to read to children at bedtime, where an adult would be present to explain what some words mean. This book would be good for small assignments. Maybe students can do an activity where they would replace themselves for Willy and see what they would do in the situations Willy went through.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and amusing story. Willy is the kind of chimp that many of us can relate to. However quite worrying that Willy has to change his appearance in order to be accepted...shouldn't we be teaching our children that it doesn't matter what they look like on the outside, its the inside that counts and they should never give in to pressure!

[Cat Strawberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book which I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I now do. This special anniversary edition of the book is in paperback, about A4 in width and square in shape. Inside there are glossy, thick pages with colourful illustrations and text. ‘Willy the Wimp’ is a simple story which seems a bit silly but at the same time has a great message which may have been lost on a few amazon reviewers.

Willy wouldn’t hurt anybody, not even a fly, but no matter what, the suburban gorillas still call him ‘Willy the Wimp’. Willy hates being called a wimp, and one day he reads an advert in a newspaper which promises to change everything. The book has such a simple story, Willy answers a body-building advert and follows all the rules to get fit and strong. The plot may seem simple and at first it seems silly that Willy goes through changes in order to deal with the gorillas, however, those that look at the book’s ending more carefully will realise that it’s a brilliant story of overcoming the bullies by doing something that makes you feel better and more confident, and feeling happy with who you are.

The illustrations in this book are good and funny and show the story well. Some of the illustrations do look a bit silly though such as the gorillas, who are body building. They look so silly that it made me laugh.

I do like the ending, there’s a very funny dialogue between Willy and Millie which itself made me laugh, and the last page is funny too! The ending is satisfying and I think plenty of kids will really enjoy this book. Whether they’ll get the subtle message in the story without an adult pointing it out though I’m not so sure, but this is definitely a book worth reading with kids particularly those who may be dealing with self-confidence issues.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy (as part of The Anthony Browne Collection).

[Alisha N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willy the Wimp doesn't have any self-confidence. He's always apologizing even when he isn't wrong and is constantly bullied by the suburban gorillas. Because of this non-confrontational and passive persona, they nickname him Willy the Wimp. Determined to improve his self-confidence artificially and not authentically, Willy purchases a self-improvement kit from a popular fitness guru. Willy becomes bigger physically, but he remains the same timid and passive person on the inside that he has always been.
The author uses personification by giving the gorillas in the story human characteristics. They walk upright on twos, speak English, and attend school. The author addresses stereotypes by dressing Willy in preppy clothes and the gorilla thugs are dressed stereotypically. Illustrations are very bright and almost true to life. The theme of the book is changing physical appearances does not solve problems that involve inner character traits. I'd recommend this book to teach character traits. There's a lot of background knowledge that the reader will need in order to make inferences and draw conclusions about the characters and their actions in the story. It can be used for older students also to teach themes such as stereotyping and changing character traits.

[Hannah Reis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willy the Wimp
By: Anthony Browne
Review By: Hannah Reis

The story starts off with a young monkey named Willy explaining how he wouldn't hurt a fly. Willy often god teased and picked on by the differed "gangs" of gorillas and wouldn't ever fight back. Willy often times even said sorry when he wasn't even in the wrong. Willy was always polite but hated the nickname "Willy the Wimp" so he wanted to find something to do about it by seeing an ad in the newspaper. Willy started by working for what he thought would make him less of a wimp. What I enjoyed and learned from this book is that Willy was just kind little monkey and no matter how big he got his personality stayed the same. In society there are times when you think you have to portray your looks as someone you aren't which can often times be very difficult. Willy was always helpful and understanding to all the only problem was that he looked for the best in people and would let other walk over him. He let the nickname get to his head. The illustrations were well done and helped the story as a whole and I enjoyed the different page bleeds used and how each illustration was unique.

I would Recommend this book

[Lucy Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the colourful illustrations in the book, but I found them quite stereotypical in the clothes that Willy and the gang were wearing. I think it is a positive example of how you can increase your confidence and become happy with yourself. It is up to you to make the changes, to get fitter and feel happier in your own skin.

However, I do not like the way the story implies that you need to change who you are to be liked. The way Willy dealt with the bully is not a good example of how I would like my children to approach it. I found the advertisement poster to be portraying a worrying message implying that because Willy is not aggressive or muscly he is weak and by suggesting if he enters the competition he will be the one that can 'order people about' and 'kick sand in their faces' implies that he will just become a bully himself. I would not use this book in my classroom as an example of what to do, but I might use it as a discussion point to see what the children think Willy should do and whether they think it will solve the problem of bullying if Willy enters the competition.

[Andy Verschoyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Browne classic although not so much of the magical realism. This is a "think-positive tale", the humour coming from our empathy with the classic underdog, his caricature modesty and puniness when compared with the burly gorillas, his character staying the same despite his inflated muscles, and his ego crashing at the end when he he walks into the lamppost.

If "Gorilla" (1983) was the book which made Browne's name as the artist to draw gorilla's, " Willy the Wimp " introduced us to his alter ego - "a chimpanzee living in a world of gorillas" according to Browne. Not a difficult relationship for children to identify with - the classic gorilla barging Willy off the pavement, the bully, the bodybuilder.

In his book "Playing the shape game" Browne describes the book as a "breakthrough" in terms of design. He tried variations to lighten the tone of what might otherwise have been a more serious work - the position of the picture on the page matters, the use of picture strips reminds us of comics, circular images, text within the pictures. It was an experimental book which introduced many of his presentational styles.

[Elly Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tells the story of a chimpanzee who feels like he is always n the shadows. He is constant being bullied by big strong gorillas and he feels the need to change himself. He eventually gets bigger and bigger until the gorillas are scared of him, and he saves Millie. But, at the end he reverts back to his old passive ways. I think this story addresses several societal issues that children face. Bullying is a big one, as well as feeling the need to live up to standards. Many children can feel overshadowed, and society tells us to be a certain way. This book shows that even if you try to change yourself, you never really can. It is important to stick to the good qualities that you have.

The book and illustrations have a kind of humorous feel to them. The Animals are dressed, walk, and act like humans, and the illustrations portray that perfectly. It is also a fairly simple story, and even little kids an understand and enjoy it. Each page has few words on a blank page on one side, and then an illustration on the next. The simplicity puts the focus on the message of the story.

[Jenee Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought "Willy the Wimp" was a pretty good book for kids. This is a story that tells of a small, fainthearted monkey who is picked on a lot for his timidness and small size. Bullies call him "Willy the Wimp". One day, Willy sees an ad for bodybuilding and he decides he wants to change his body because he was tired of being picked on. The book goes on to show how Willy develops his body weight and size, and how it affects the monkeys that used to bully him. I thought this was a good book to help kids who may have experienced other people picking on them. It could also be a good book to show that you can become whatever you want to, but just be sure to keep who you are on the inside-as the book showed how Willy's timid personality stayed the same after his appearance changed. However I wonder if this book will cause some students to think that they have to change who they are to please other people or to make people like them. 4/5 stars

[Becs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hilarious, witty and fun for all the family. Willy is classed as a wimp by those that know him; he's so nice he even worries about stepping on minuscule bugs he can't even see as he walks down the street. But Willy doesn't want people to keep saying he's a wimp - so he dabbles in some body building!

The progression of this short story from limp chimp to super-sized hero is fantastic. Each element of his training and change is showcased in a funny, colourful way. And what a nice message too - you can be whoever you want to be if you put yourself out there!

A really nice book. The images are quite sparse rather than filling the page entirely with colour, but overall a really great addition to the Willy collection.

ARC provided free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Delaney Mohr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Willy the Wimo by Anthony Brown is about bullying. The book used gorillas to replace humans to make the book more fun for children. The author uses borders on most places, but on some pages will use full bleed to immerse the readers. The colors are bright, but the author uses a lot of simplicity within the book for the illustrations. The book is landscape, because the author wants to draw illustrations across both pages that relate to one another. Bullying is a touchy subject and I do not think this book conveyed the best message. The author makes it look like you have to change the physical part of yourself to stand up to bullies. I can see why he would approach that type of solution with being a guy, but it is not realistic for everyone. Kids would enjoy this book though and understand the message.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book in a box full of donated books and when I saw the word "bullying," I thought it might be a good one to add to my collection of elementary school counseling books. Although I understand the possible intended message, I don't think it would communicate well with elementary students. I'm not a huge fan of telling students that they need to change themselves (e.g. physical appearance) to stop others from bullying them. If I were to use this book, I would use it as a way to discuss what NOT to do when someone is bullying you.

[Scarlett Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't particularly love this book considering the whole premise was you have to change yourself in order to not get bullied or picked on. I didn't love that the main character was a called a wimp and then he was suddenly a "hero" when he got big muscles...I get that the story captures your attention but I don't want my kids to read it thinking that its ok to change yourself in order for others to like you or stop bullying you...I kept hoping he was gonna hate his new look and go back to being himself but that didn't happen...

[Georgia Vaughan · Rating 2 out of 5]

In summary, Willy the Wimp goes from getting bullied for being very nice or 'wimpy', to entering a bodybuilding competition, to no longer being bullied...
On one hand, we have the idea that you can do something to make yourself feel better and become more confident in yourself, sticking up for yourself etc. But on the other we have a rather outdated solution to bullying - bulging muscles shouldn't be the way to intimidate the bullies off.
Humorous to FS/KS1 children and could act as a good discussion starting point to 'what we have learnt from the story' - particularly in KS2.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Willie is a passive, undersized monkey in a world of mean gorillas. When he gets tired of being bumped and pushed he sees an ad for a body building program and sends away for it. He starts jogging, eating a special diet, attending boxing and body building classes and can see the growth in his body and muscles. When he sees the bullies attacking his friend, Millie, he sends them on the run. But has he changed? Inside he is still the polite, soft-hearted Willie that we all love, but now he can stand up to the challenge when it is needed.

[Mairéad · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 Hmm, I think this particular Anthony Browne classic hasn't aged as well as some of his other works but it would be interesting to discuss with a senior primary class (aged 10+) to see what they thought of Willy's approach to dealing with bullies, and to discuss what they think the authors message is (especially in the last few pages!)? It could also be a useful way to prompt a conversation about self esteem and the pressure we all feel sometimes to conform to someone else's ideas of what it means to be strong/successful?

[Cornelius Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willy is a shy and small and gets picked on wherever he goes. When he sees and add on how to become bigger and stronger, Willy is quick to order and start the process. He soon realizes that he doesn't have to be scared and shy, and with his new found strength he can help others.

Willy es timido y pequeño. Cuando ve un anuncio para convertirse más fuerte y grande, Willy lo ordena. Pronto Willy se convierte mas grande y fuerte y ya no es timido.

[Shannon M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the ending of this book, however I don't care for the message throughout the book. The book was written in 1984 and you can see how body awareness education has changed over the last two decades after reading this story. The illustrations are nice though and the overall story is good. I like how the final message states that no matter what you look like on the outside your inner personality still stays the same.

[Kenyatta Hicks-cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story Willy the Wimp really didn't appeal to me. I don't think I like that he used monkeys in the selection. I understand his purpose to help kids understand bullying however, maybe a different animal would have appealed to ME. Also, I don't agree with the message you have to change yourself in order to deal with bullies. I did like the pictures in the story! They were very inviting, colorful, and funny. Don't think I would use this book to teach about bullying because of the message.

[Hannah Berenzweig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Willy the Wimp by Anthony Browne was about bullying. Bullying can be a big thing in children's lives, and it is important for young kids to know that it gets better. Willy began to workout and became very content with himself. By the end of the book, Willy helped someone who was being bullied and did not consider himself a wimp anymore but considered himself a hero.

[Ayesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willy dreams to be this magnificent chimp who has a great body and 'a magnetic personality'. A bodybuilding advertisement gives him hope. But how much would it cost him? Is it even possible? Does he really need to do that? Anthony Browne highlights sensitive topics of bullying and physical appearance in a humorous way.

[Daniel Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book to read, I enjoyed a few of the messages in the book that really stood out to me the most. First, I liked how the book promoted the importance of standing up to a bully. I also enjoyed the growth and development of the character's physical abilities but kept his personality the same.