muddypuddle's review against another edition
5.0
I'm always on the lookout for picture books for older kids. Fourth and fifth grade boys will love this one...it's funny, and imaginative, and a teeny tiny bit gross...
libraryannemckernan's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful and slightly irreverent semi-autobiograpical story of Joyce - a struggling student and aspiring artist. Inspirational and encouraging of kids to follow their dreams.
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
The title is kind of gross, but this is a cute little book. As it says on the cover, it’s sorta a memoir.
William Joyce wrote this about Billy, his 4th grade self. There was a book writing contest that year and Billy entered the contest. There is a little insert with what looks to be the actual book he wrote about a super booger that helps Billy with Math after a meteor hit his room. He even drew the pictures in the little book. He did not win the contest, but his book was the most popular and checked out from the library. Shows you what adults know about good literature.
I like little Billy. He is quirky and quite different from the other kids, which leads right into being a world renown Children’s author.
I was really struck by the beautiful drawings of hands in this book. He does some amazing pictures of hands several times. They are beautiful. I have heard many artists say that hands are some of the most difficult things to draw. William proves his skills here. They are mad skills.
My nephew thinks this book is awesome. It makes my niece laugh and grosses her out, but she read it too and gave it 3 stars. The nephew gave it 5 stars. Thank goodness he didn’t fixate on a boogie. He’s still fixated on Franken Berry.
William Joyce wrote this about Billy, his 4th grade self. There was a book writing contest that year and Billy entered the contest. There is a little insert with what looks to be the actual book he wrote about a super booger that helps Billy with Math after a meteor hit his room. He even drew the pictures in the little book. He did not win the contest, but his book was the most popular and checked out from the library. Shows you what adults know about good literature.
I like little Billy. He is quirky and quite different from the other kids, which leads right into being a world renown Children’s author.
I was really struck by the beautiful drawings of hands in this book. He does some amazing pictures of hands several times. They are beautiful. I have heard many artists say that hands are some of the most difficult things to draw. William proves his skills here. They are mad skills.
My nephew thinks this book is awesome. It makes my niece laugh and grosses her out, but she read it too and gave it 3 stars. The nephew gave it 5 stars. Thank goodness he didn’t fixate on a boogie. He’s still fixated on Franken Berry.
kgourd's review against another edition
5.0
The weirdo in me LOVED this book. I think it will inspire other weirdos to become writers!
thislibrarylife's review against another edition
5.0
My students LOVED this book! Such a funny story. They also liked seeing how Billy could be successful, even if he was a "challenging" student. I think my favorite part is the "book within a book", where we get to see Billy's original short story.
sageorion's review
5.0
omg I can't believe that a book called BILLY'S BOOGER just made me get a little teary-eyed and inspired
alina_hookedon_books's review
5.0
I read this book during one of my programs about writing stories and the kids really enjoyed it as well as I did. I love that imagination and creativity is what is seen and written as an importance, as well as being yourself.
tashrow's review
4.0
This memoir in picture book format celebrates the creativity of a child destined to become an author. William has trouble at school. He wishes math were as much fun as the comics in the newspaper. He wants to play invented sports in gym instead of the normal ones. Notes are sent home from school. Then along comes a creative writing contest and William is very excited. He works and works on his entry. It’s title is Billy’s Booger and it’s all about a booger in his nose that gets super powers. But when the prizes are given out, Billy doesn’t win any of them, not even honorable mention. He is devastated and starts to act like everyone else. When he’s returning all of the book he used for research for his own book, he hears laughter in the library and heads over to investigate. A group of kids is reading his book and the librarian tells him that out of all of the entries in the contest, his is the most popular! He may not have won the actual prizes, but got something even better.
Joyce tells the story with a wonderful tone. He explains the earlier time when he grew up and children played outside rather than at playdates, when there were only three channels on the TV, and when funnies in the paper were a huge part of your day. It is a memoir about a kid who doesn’t quite fit into the school mold. It’s less about the grownups and how they dealt with him, though that is there in the background and more about him as a child and what he loved to do even then. It’s a testament to following your dream, to doing what you love and what you have always loved.
The illustrations are done in Joyce’s signature style, one that embraces vintage elements but also shines with a modern feel too. My favorite part of the book was the insert with William’s book in it. Happily, the pages are made from construction paper that feels so different in your hand. When I turned the page and saw it I cheered aloud. It is such a change from the finished and lovely illustrations in the rest of the book to move to these rougher drawings and paper. What an important element to embrace.
Fans of Joyce will love this glimpse of him as a child and it may inspire children to try their own hands at writing. Get this funny book out when creative writing projects are coming to help inspire really creative responses. Appropriate for ages 7-9.
Joyce tells the story with a wonderful tone. He explains the earlier time when he grew up and children played outside rather than at playdates, when there were only three channels on the TV, and when funnies in the paper were a huge part of your day. It is a memoir about a kid who doesn’t quite fit into the school mold. It’s less about the grownups and how they dealt with him, though that is there in the background and more about him as a child and what he loved to do even then. It’s a testament to following your dream, to doing what you love and what you have always loved.
The illustrations are done in Joyce’s signature style, one that embraces vintage elements but also shines with a modern feel too. My favorite part of the book was the insert with William’s book in it. Happily, the pages are made from construction paper that feels so different in your hand. When I turned the page and saw it I cheered aloud. It is such a change from the finished and lovely illustrations in the rest of the book to move to these rougher drawings and paper. What an important element to embrace.
Fans of Joyce will love this glimpse of him as a child and it may inspire children to try their own hands at writing. Get this funny book out when creative writing projects are coming to help inspire really creative responses. Appropriate for ages 7-9.
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