Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem

Barnett, M. (2009). Billy Twitters and his blue whale problem.  New York:  Disney-Hyperion Books.

What happens when you don't listen to your mother?  She makes you take care of a blue whale!  Just ask Billy Twitters; he can tell you how horrible it is.  Max Barnett writes a very clever and interesting story about Billy Twitters and his pet blue whale.  Billy's mother constantly threatens buying her son a blue whale as punishment for disobeying the rules.  Billy doesn't believe his mother's outrageous alternative.  But one things for sure:  Billy's mother follows through.  And then hilarity ensues.



Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem not only has a humorous plot for adults but also has a lot of scientific information for the audience, such as blue whales are "the biggest animals in the world," and that they have baleen instead of teeth.  Barnett uses Billy to educate the audience on whale care.  Billy learns that he must wash, wax and check his whale for barnacles.

Illustrator Adam Rex does an incredible job of mixing the absurdity of the blue whale with the realism of the world around Billy.  Quite often the whale is too big to fit on the entire page, which only emphasizes the enormity of the animal.  If whales could have expressions, Billy's whale seems unhappy with his new life.  It seems as though Barnett is convincing the audience to consider consequences of purchasing abnormal pets.

In the end, Billy finds a way to enjoy his new pet in an unconventional way.  Since Disney-Hyperion published the book, Rex leaves a nice nod to another "boy" who spent some time with a blue whale called Monstro.