Three Silly Billies

"Hold your horsepower," said the little man with a stamp, a stomp, and a snort. "This is a troll bridge. I'm the Troll. Now, start passing the buck."

Bill Bob, Billy Bo, and Just Plain Billy don't have enough money to cross the troll bridge. But by pooling their pennies with the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack, the Three SIlly Billies are able to pay the toll and cross the deep river in jolly good style. And there's a whopping surprise in store for the Troll!

As in Earthquack!, Margie Palatini and Barry Moser combine their talents to create an inventive new version of a favorite folktale.

Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz - Children's Literature

In this hilarious variation on the traditional tale of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff," Billy Bob, Billy Bo, and Just Plain Billy have packed their jalopy and are "ready to roll." But they are stopped at a troll toll-bridge by the snippy Troll, demanding they "pass the buck." Here a series of ever sillier events ensues, beginning with the Billies pumping up, filling, and jumping into a pool, which they call a "car pool," where they hope others will join them to share the fare they cannot afford. When the Three Bears arrive, also without enough toll money, they jump into the "pool." Red Riding Hood and Jack, of Beanstalk fame, soon join them. The ever angrier Troll finally demands his money. Tossing him a spare tire, Just Plain Billy pulls the pool plug and as the Troll falls into the water they all float across the bridge. The fun concludes with an unexpected arrival. Moser's full-page, believably naturalistic watercolors create a frisky trio of goats, a suburban-like bear family, etc. along with the grouchy Troll with his hard hat labeled "Trollgate Plaza." No words are needed to set up the climax as we watch the bean stalk grow in the final pages. 2005, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Ages 4 to 8.

Margie Palatini is the author of many celebrated children's books, including Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes, The Three Silly Billies and Earthquack!, all illustrated by Barry Moser, as well as Sweet Tooth and Bedhead, both illustrated by Jack E. Davis. She lives with her family in New Jersey. Visit Margie at margiepalatini.com.

Barry Moser has won numerous accolades for his work, including the prestigious National Book Award for Design and Illustration and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. He is both an author and an artist, whose illustrations can be seen in books ranging from Voices of Ancient Egypt by Kay Winters to Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O'Connell George. Barry Moser's work is represented in collections throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, and the Library of Congress. He lives in western Massachusetts.