Where Willy Went

January 24, 2005
The hero of Allan's (The Queen's Knickers
) droll and informative tale is a sperm named Willy who lives inside Mr. Browne "at the same address" as 300 million other sperm. The author wryly portrays that address and its inhabitants in a cross-section drawing of Mr. Browne's testicle, in which minuscule sperms bustle around a crowded town-like setting, complete with a "sperm bank," swimming pool and cinema. The author then zeroes in on Willy, who practices daily for the "Great Swimming Race," the prize for which is the "beautiful egg" inside Mrs. Browne. Willy isn't able to answer his teacher's question about how many sperms he'll have to beat ("He wasn't very good at math, but he was very
good at swimming"). But the teacher provides the racers with two maps—whimsically depicting the anatomically correct "inside" views of Mr. and Mrs. Browne. That night, when the couple "joined together" (lumpy bedclothes suggests their presence underneath), the race gets underway. Willy outswims his main rival and burrows into the egg. Rudimentary time-lapse drawings reveal "something wonderful" happening as the egg develops into a fetus and Mrs. Browne gives birth to a baby girl. "Where had little Willy gone? Who knows?," asks the author, who then slyly notes that when the child grows older, "she found she wasn't very good at math... but she was very
good at swimming!" Delivering basic facts with subtlety and humor, this sprightly story will serve as a useful catalyst for adult-child dialogue. Ages 4-8.

March 1, 2005
PreS-Gr 2 -Willy is not good at math but excels at swimming. He and his nemesis, Butch, practice every day for the Great Swimming Race. Finally, armed with goggles, a number, and two maps, he and 300 million other competitors swim madly for the prize -the egg inside Mrs. Browne. Willy is a sperm. All his practicing pays off and he victoriously burrows into the "lovely and soft" egg, which grows and grows in Mrs. Browne's tummy until it becomes a baby girl. But "Where had little Willy gone? Who knows?" However, when little Edna is old enough to start school, she isn't very good at math but she IS very good at swimming. This breezy and amusing romp may not resolve those pesky questions about reproduction but it certainly lends personality to the process of fertilization. The double-entendre title is indicative of the cheeky and humorous text, which is lively, well paced, and essentially accurate. The line and watercolor illustrations perfectly suit the irreverent tone and include a lift-the-flap expanded page and a "find Waldo"-style spread. Both sperm and humans are endearingly expressive. As to the science, an unclothed Mr. and Mrs. Browne are anatomically correct but the racing map of Mrs. Browne's reproductive system is confusingly vague. Nonetheless, adult readers will be thoroughly entertained and children will be charmed if not completely informed.While a relatively innocuous and engaging piece of sex ed, this title could be a potentially provocative addition to picture-book collections." -Carol Ann Wilson, formerly at Westfield Memorial Library, NJ"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2005
PreS-Gr. 1. Having already published provocative works such as " The Queen's Knickers "(1993)" "and " Cinderella's Bum" (2002) in England, Allan delivers some" "facts of life (and a lot of smirking silliness) in this picture book about an anthropomorphic sperm cell. Rosy-cheeked Willy is determined to be the first to reach the "lovely and soft" interior of an egg, located in the murkily mapped recesses of Mrs. Browne's abdomen. Where Willy went is clear; how he got there is less so, as Mr and Mrs. Browne's physical union occurs discretely beneath the bedclothes. Children not long from the womb themselves won't glean many biological truths from the whimsical cartoon artwork (Allan's swimmers wear goggles and numbers), and Willy's permanent disappearance is disturbing in the context of a story that presents spermatazoa as characters, not gametes. Worldly older siblingsand adults are likely to be Allan's most responsive audience, but many under-five readers may still enjoy the sojourn to a world of endearing, exotic tadpole creatures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)