Watch William Walk

Jonas, Ann

3.63

38 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 0688141757 ISBN 13: 9780688141752

Publisher: Greenwillow, 1997

A tongue-twisting story focuses on a letter of the alphabet and follows exuberant youngsters William, Wally, Wilma, and Wanda, who participate in an adventuresome, W-filled day.

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About the Author:

Ann Jonas, author-artist of Splash! and Round Trip, lives in Germantown, New York.In Her Own Words...

"I grew up in a family that attached great importance to knowing how to do as many things as possible, from skating to skiing to cabinet-making to repairing the family car. Everyone always had several projects going at the same time, and drawing was considered an incidental skill, a tool for planning a project rather than an end in itself. It was only after a few years of dead-end jobs following high school that I decided some specific training might be helpful, even necessary. I attended Cooper Union and after graduation went to work in the studio of my former graphicdesign instructor.

"A few years later my husband, Donald Crews, was inducted into the Army and subsequently sent to Germany. I followed and found a job with a German advertising agency, trying to design ads with a "Madison Avenue" look for them. We lived in Germany for one-and-a-half years, sharing a rambling apartment with German friends. Our first daughter, Nina, was born there. When we returned to the United States, we started our own freelance design business.

"Our second daughter, Amy, was born, and the design business grew. It wasn't until both daughters were nearly ready for college that I considered doing books for children, and then it was only through the urging of my husband and his editor, Susan Hirschman.

"My first book, When You Were a Baby, came together very quickly. I drew strongly on memories of my children and their friends at two and three and their evident pride in their accomplishments. Two Bear Cubs was next and then Round Trip, which was the working out of an idea that had interested me in the abstract. With succeeding books, I've been trying to explore other ways of stretching children's imaginations. I find myself drawn more and more often to designing books that involve some sort of visual play. It seems like a wonderful opportunity to encourage children to look at familiar things in different ways while offering the appeal of a game or a puzzle. If I can also deal, even if only lightly, with some of a child's deeper concerns, then I feel that I've served him or her as well as I can."

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-K. "Watch William walk with Wally./Wally welcomes/William's walks./Wally wiggles." This slight picture book is based on the author's challenge to herself, as cited on the book flap, to explore how far alliteration can be carried "to make a complete, logical sentence." Indeed, the sentences are logical, but the "w" repetition makes it tough to distinguish the characters and difficult to follow the story. Wally is a dog, William a boy. They are joined by Wilma, a girl, and Wanda, a duck. They all set off on a walk down the beach, but William and Wally become impatient waiting for Wanda to keep up. It's only when they get to the water that Wanda leaves the others in her wake. Pleasing watercolor-and-black-pen illustrations show the simply drawn figures; their footprints and shadows add interest and dimension to each double-page spread. Sunlit colors and an unusual overhead perspective make this picture book an interesting visual experience, but the word game is not dynamic enough to engage young readers. However, it may be welcomed by classroom teachers who seek vehicles to teach the letters of the alphabet.?Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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