Willy The Champ by Anthony Browne

This book is quite short and focuses more on the illustrations than the text. For instance, there is usually only a sentence or two per page. However, the illustrations are very vibrant and colorful and pleasing to the eye. The main character, Willy, is a chimp who is extremely mild mannered. He enjoys reading, listening to music, movies, and walking in the park. Interestingly, Willy is portrayed as being inept at sports. For example, he is shown failing at soccer, bicycling, and swimming. It is intriguing that Willy is portrayed as a sort of nerdy character who likes to read, but is bad at soccer. This seems to send a message to kids that people fall in categories such as jocks, smart kids, etc. Also, there is a sentence in the book that "Everyone laughs at Willy, no matter what he does." The ending of the book is also worth noting, as Willy "stands up" to a bully named Buster Nose. Overall, I did not enjoy this book very much and thought it sent loaded messages through the text and illustrations. I would not recommend the Willy series by Anthony Browne.