That Is NOT a Good Idea! Review by Allison Trippe

Bibliography

Willems, Mo. That is NOT a Good Idea!. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2013.

ISBN 978-0-06-220309-0

Plot Summary

That is NOT a Good Idea! is a cautionary tale written with humor and wit by the award-winning author/illustrator, Mo Willems. In the story, a hungry fox meets a seemingly naive goose. The sly fox invites the plump goose to join him for a stroll. As he coaxes her to dinner at his house, he plots to trick the goose into having her for a meal. Meanwhile, noisy baby goslings heed warnings throughout the story that something terrible is soon to happen. But, exactly who are they warning? In the end, an unlikely character learns a lesson the hard way, and is outsmarted.

Critical Analysis

In a unique and hilarious style, meant to resemble silent film, Mo Willems pairs detailed graphics with simple dialogue in his original version of a familiar story. In keeping with the characteristics of a silent film, the main characters portray an evil villain and damsel in distress. The script is displayed opposite the graphics on black pages with ornate borders and white text fashioned after intertitles. Mostly depicted in illustrations of anthropomorphized characters, the reader is led to believe that a stereotypical hungry fox is about to outsmart an innocent mother goose. Suspense builds throughout the book with the forewarnings of baby geese, who also provide foreshadowing on every other page. The repetition and predictability of these warnings give way to audience participation. Young children will enjoy echoing the cries of the baby geese.

Mo Willems’ illustrations are independent of text, adding to the style of silent film as it applies to a children’s book. He uses a fade-in technique to distinguish the dialogue of individual characters. The faces of each character are drawn to show their emotions and thoughts as the plot advances. Each page offers a colorful scene and humorous details from the distinct features of each baby gossling to the backdrop setting. That Is NOT a Good Idea! could easily be adapted into an animated short cartoon since the illustrations give the reader a sense of motion. The author’s use of onomatopoeic words furthers the feeling of watching a cartoon. Readers who are familiar with Mo Willems will appreciate the inclusion of his skillfully hidden, familiar characters from his other children’s books.

Review Excerpts

From Kirkus Review: “From the cover to the cast credits to the title page, the story presents itself as a movie in book form, observed not only by readers, but by a gaggle of excitable goslings.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Cinematic conventions, like neatly framed white-on-black intertitles and gauzy iris-eye close-ups of the eyelash-batting heroine, join allusions to classics like “Henny Penny,” Rosie’s Walk, and perhaps even Mighty Mouse. Trust Willems to blend silents, animation, and comics for a wickedly droll poultry-in-peril yarn.”

From School Library Journal: “This charmer is lovingly composed as an homage to silent movies and the concept of picture books as the “theater of the lap.” Readers will become totally involved as they watch, along with several chicks, a drama unfolding, certain to end in tragedy.”

Personal Response

I found myself smiling with delight as I read and reread the book That Is NOT a Good Idea!. This is the type of book where a reader finds more and more details with each subsequent reading. In fact, had I not read the book multiple times, I would have missed the clever addition of the cast of characters included on the copyright page. I appreciate the book’s originality, style, and humor. This is the perfect book for young elementary age students, and adults. I do not see middle and high school age readers appreciating it as much.

Connections

• Since the book is written with few words, it allows teachers to guide students through the process of making  inferences.
• Students can learn to pay attention to details through think-aloud readings, or by rereading the book and looking for clues they missed.
• Students can also practice making predictions before reading the book.
• Teachers can pair this book with the story of Chicken Little, then ask students to compare and contrast the two stories.
• That Is NOT a Good Idea! is an excellent candidate for a Reader’s Theater activity.

*Created as an assignment for a Texas Woman's University course.