WHAT PARENTS SAY
 

We have recently discovered Bill Peet's books and our children love them. Our triplets are 3.5 years old and have enjoyed "The Caboose Is Loose", "Fly Homer Fly" and "Merle the High Flying Squirrel". Both the illustrations and writing are first rate and hold our children's attention. There are so many "modern" books that have no substance to them, so it was a great thrill to discover Bill Peet's books. We look forward to reading many more of them in the months to come! One of our children's greatest joys is to go to the library to look for new books, so we will continue to look for more by Bill Peet.

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I have no idea who I am writing to but feel so compelled to express my family's love for Bill Peet and his whimsical and endearing books for children AND adults.  We discovered Bill Peet when my mother in law pulled out boxes of children's books from her basement she had collected for my husband when he was a young boy.  Our first read was The Caboose Who Got Loose and after that we were hooked!  Every week we sort out another box hoping to find a Bill Peet book - it's like a treasure hunt and we are thrilled to read another adventure.  Some nights my son is so tired he falls asleep before I finish reading yet I find myself continuing to read because I love them so much.  I understand how Bill has captivated his readers of all ages for so many years.  The rhythms, the stories, the illustrations, and the lessons learned have me smiling ear to ear with each page I turn. I was so happy to find this site and to learn more about the author who is with us at bedtime every night.  What a magical life he has led.  He has a special place in our hearts. Thank you for taking the time to read this. We read Ella this evening.

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Ever since my 14 year old son was born I happened across the wondrous books of Bill Peet. He instantly became my favorite author, poet, illustrator, and expert of the English language. I only wish I didn't postpone the writing of my letter telling him how much I admired his talent and his way of delicately weaving the beautifully hidden meanings of values and lessons with colorfully descriptive rhymes. Unfortunately I wrote the letter, only a few months after he passed away.

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I am writing to try to contact someone from Bill Peet’s family to let them know how much his books have meant to my family.  As I am now 35yrs, I grew up reading all these wonderful stories, bringing them home from the school library as often as I could find them.  They were always my favourite.  As time went on & I grew up I forgot about Bill Peet’s books til one day about 4 years ago when my own son brought home from school a book that looked very different from the usual  Berenstain Bears and Robert Munsch books he usually  came home with, it  was Encore for Elenore. The book was stamped from the school library 1977 & the second I opened it up & saw the pictures, it was like a light switched on, I KNEW these pictures! Suddenly I was 6 again!  Since that day both my 8 yr old son & 6 yr old daughter try to find Bill Peet books at the library as much as they can, there are still a few kicking around, & they are always the best to read. Last year my son had to do an Author Fair where they did presentations on their favourite Authors & had to dress up as a character from a story, he did Mr.Frenzy from Jennifer & Josephine. This past month my daughter also had to do the same project & she instantly choose Bill Peet. She dressed up as an elf from Countdown to Christmas.  I would like to let the family know how very dear these stories are to me & my children & that we are collecting as many of them as we can to put away so that the next generation can enjoy them as well. They not only stand up amazing to the test of time, but they are heartwarming & tell good solid values without being too silly & we would just like it to be known how treasured these wonderful books are.  The pictures took me back 25years, Harold peeking down the steps at the boys in the old house, todays books just don’t have that quality.
                  Melanie Flagg

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I read as many books by Bill Peet as I could find in our County library in Eastern Oregon in the 70's and 80's. The kids and I enjoyed them so much. Now I have grandchildren. And I am happy to say I am now able to purchase these beloved books. I know your Father's books will never loose their appeal over time. I enjoyed reading through your entire web site. Thanks

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Hi Bill Jr.,

I hope this reaches you. As a family, we have just discovered your dad's books and this website. Our local librarian recommended him to us. She suggested "Buford the Little Bighorn" and "Merle the High-Flying Squirrel" as her favorites. My favorites are "The Kweeks of Kookatumdee," "Huge Harold," and "The Pinkish Purplish Bluish Egg." BUT, there are still SO many more we need to get to!

My husband and I are enjoying so much reading all the Bill Peet stories we can find to our older son, who is now 4, and look forward to sharing them with our younger son, who is 1. We just can't understand why we didn't read them as kids ourselves growing up in the early-to-mid 1970's. Still, we're glad to have the wonderful "new" gift of Bill Peet stories to share with our kids.

Only this evening, I read aloud the entirety of Capyboppy, which is a pretty long story for a 4-year-old! But Sean was enchanted, and it was especially interesting to him to consider SoCal, where he was born, and the L.A. Zoo to which Capy retired, where we used to visit often. Perhaps we even observed some of Capy's progeny before we moved to CO in 2004.

I even recently checked your dad's autobiography out of the library and read it in the course of a couple of days, having trouble putting it down. It was featured on a shelf with the cover facing out, as if it was waiting for me to find it.

I especially enjoy the many rhyming stories, because they have such a great rhythm and are SO fun to read aloud. ALL of them, however, have great illustrations and great messages to share with children or anyone. I hope someday a publisher may be convinced to produce a complete and deluxe volume of collected Bill Peet stories. That would be a great gift for any family.

Best wishes to you and your family,

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When I was growing up in the ‘70’s, I just could not get enough of your books. I lived in a very small town, and fortunately, the school library had several of your books available and I loved them!
 
My daughter recently turned seven, and I just purchased 15 of your hardbound books as a surprise. I’m excited to share your books with her because I think they are amazing. I would like to get your entire collection, but amazon.com only carried 15 of your hardbound books (14 story books plus your autobiography). I printed out the list of books you wrote and I will keep buying them until I have your entire collection.
 
I would just like to thank you for making a little girl (me) very happy. When I look at your illustrations, I am whisked away into a world that is safe and sweet. Your books have always made me smile and they still do. You are an amazing man and I just wanted you to know how much your books have touched my heart.
 
Sincerely, Julie Watts

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am not sure who I am writing to but THANK YOU…..THANK YOU…THANK YOU!
Not sure who enjoyed Bill Peet books more…me and my husband (the readers) or our son…who is now 17.
We have read just about every Bill Peet book there is and no less then 50 times each.
They made us laugh; they made us cry but mostly they taught us a lesson.
Oh the joy of reading the stories at night our son who still loves recalling the funny stories and their amusing titles.
We have a copy of Wump World and Huge Harold in our family library….just cause one should never really grow up totally.

THANK YOU BILL..for the gift.

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When my children were little ones, we used to make weekly trips to the library filling an old milk carton crate with books... Their favorites were your books.   We all thoroughly enjoyed them.   I have now just turned into a grandmother for the first time and I just found your website... trying to choose which one of your books I will get as the first one for my grand daughter..  Thank you for so many wonderful memories.
 
God Bless, Cara Beck

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Dear Mr. Peet,

I was raised loving your books, we would search for new titles in our 
local library. Now that I have my own 2 year old son, I have purchased several of 
your books. We are building a great collection of them and love every one. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with us.

With gratitude and admiration, Martha