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Billie B Brown #12
The Best Project
Billie's little brother is cute, but he can be annoying. Billie has to keep everything away from him. Especially the tower she has made for her school project...
48 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2011
7 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Sally Rippin
786 books224 followersSally Rippin was born in Darwin, but grew up mainly in South-East Asia. As a young adult she lived in China for three years, studying traditional Chinese painting. Sally has over seventy books published, many of them award-winning, including two novels for young adults. Her most recent work includes the highly acclaimed children’s novel Angel Creek and the popular Billie B Brown books, which became the highest selling series for 6-8 year olds in Australia within the first year of their release. Sally is Australia’s highest selling female author and her Billie B Brown books have sold more than 4.5 million copies in 14 languages.
Sally is a popular presenter in schools and at literary festivals both in Australia and overseas and has a regular program on 3RRR interviewing children’s authors and industry professionals. She is a passionate ambassador for the 100 Story Building creative writing centre for marginalized youth and has mentored many emerging writers and illustrators. Recently, she and her partner co-founded Story Peddlers, a hand-made performance tent that packs away into a custom-built bike, with the aim of bringing back the art of the roving storyteller.
Sally is a popular presenter in schools and at literary festivals both in Australia and overseas and has a regular program on 3RRR interviewing children’s authors and industry professionals. She is a passionate ambassador for the 100 Story Building creative writing centre for marginalized youth and has mentored many emerging writers and illustrators. Recently, she and her partner co-founded Story Peddlers, a hand-made performance tent that packs away into a custom-built bike, with the aim of bringing back the art of the roving storyteller.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 24, 2021
For children aged 4/5 who are learning to read, this series is excellent. The repetition, vocabulary, font size and layout are all perfect for this age group in extending their reading from levelled "readers" to the very beginning of "chapter books". These would also make fine read-alouds to 3/4 year olds who are not yet reading independently, but are gaining the skills to listen to longer stories.
In this book, Billie uses her imagination to re-make her construction project when her baby brother accidentally destroys the first one. The thinking skills she demonstrates are a lovely example for young readers.
In this book, Billie uses her imagination to re-make her construction project when her baby brother accidentally destroys the first one. The thinking skills she demonstrates are a lovely example for young readers.
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December 10, 2021A clever entry into the Billie series!
The twist was great. Billie finds herself in a mess at the last minute, and I didn't know what she'd do!
I expected (as, I assume did all adults who've read this one) that the Paris connection would be much more obvious. A smart choice by the author to go in an original direction.
Usually the Billie books have positive themes about friendship. This one went another way to focus on Billie and her brother, with a strong message at the end.
The twist was great. Billie finds herself in a mess at the last minute, and I didn't know what she'd do!
I expected (as, I assume did all adults who've read this one) that the Paris connection would be much more obvious. A smart choice by the author to go in an original direction.
Usually the Billie books have positive themes about friendship. This one went another way to focus on Billie and her brother, with a strong message at the end.
September 11, 2018
i think that it was a very good book. Everyone had a pretty project done but my favourite one was what Billie B had done because it was a very unique sculpture.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2015
Title: Billie B. Brown, The Best Project
Author: Sally Rippin
Genre: Fiction
Age: Elementary
Part of a Series?: Yes
*I received this book as part of a consultant's kit when I joined Usborne Books & More as an Independent Consultant
Summary:
Billie B. Brown is eager to take part in a class project to build a model city. The only catch is that she wants to impress her substitute teacher by making the best project: a tower to place in the center of the class's city and her glue just isn't strong enough. This book outlines her struggles to make her project match her vision--the night before her project is due.
Overall Impression:
I read this to my daughter while we were at a baseball game with my son's cub scout pack. It was quick to get into the conflict, had pictures for my daughter to look at, and moved very quickly. I think I read the whole thing to her in 20, or maybe 30, minutes. That, more than anything, shows its worth: my daughter loves books, but rarely sits for more than five minutes to listen to a single book. This one held her attention better than any other I've encountered so far.
The Nitty Gritty:
The drawings are cute and so is the story line. I very much enjoyed how quickly Ms. Rippin established who Bille B. Brown was and what her current conflict was. Billie as a character is very easy for a young child to connect with and relate to, and I believe that this book could be read to 3 and 4 year olds who really enjoy being read to and who really have a good attention span. It would also be of interest to early elementary children who are living the same struggles as Billie. This book also has large print, with very few words on a page, and tops out at around four or five chapters, making it a good transition between picture books and chapter books.
As for the writing, the only drawback--for me--is that the fast pace might make it a little harder for children to really internalize the lessons that are featured in this book. Yes, the fast pace helps keep kids' attention and allows them to more quickly complete the book, which can be a very big milestone for younger readers. However, I feel that five or ten more pages could have enhanced the secondary lesson in the book (which is currently almost entirely ignored) and allowed for a more blatant expression of Billie's growth, without significantly changing the speed with which a child can complete the book. On the flip side, removing the secondary lesson would also have left space to more fully explore the primary lesson the book presents.
Book Club Chatter:
Strictly speaking, this book is not likely to end up in a book club setting. However, my local library does have younger book clubs and they are becoming more prevalent. In the absence of a book club for your child, these questions can easily become a conversation between parent and child.
Chapter One:
--How do you think Billie could have better handled her frustrations?
Chapter Two:
--Do you think Billie should be concerned with comparing her project to Lola's?
--What do you think Billie could have done to protect her project when she discovered it was still too wet to move?
Chapter Three:
--Can you remember a time you were angry?
--How did you treat the people around you when you were angry?
--How do you think that made them feel?
--(If you are stopping and talking about each chapter as you go): What do you think Billie did to fix her project? What was her super duper idea?
Chapter Four:
--Billie compares herself to Lola and has a desire to make a project that is better than Lola's. Billie even says that Lola is perfect. Do you think it is more important for Billie to do her best or to do better than Lola? Why?
--How do you think Billie felt when Lola and Lola's friends laughed at her?
--Can you think of a time you were brave? What did you have to do? How did it make you feel to face your fear and be brave?
My Daughter's Rating: A million trillion stars
Minor Spoiler Ahead!: Because she fixed her problem when she made her sculpture.
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book is great at capturing a young reader's attention, which is why I gave it a four star rating. And it is very cute and easy to connect to. However, the fast pace resulted in glossing over the lessons covered by the book, which kept me from giving it five stars.
Author: Sally Rippin
Genre: Fiction
Age: Elementary
Part of a Series?: Yes
*I received this book as part of a consultant's kit when I joined Usborne Books & More as an Independent Consultant
Summary:
Billie B. Brown is eager to take part in a class project to build a model city. The only catch is that she wants to impress her substitute teacher by making the best project: a tower to place in the center of the class's city and her glue just isn't strong enough. This book outlines her struggles to make her project match her vision--the night before her project is due.
Overall Impression:
I read this to my daughter while we were at a baseball game with my son's cub scout pack. It was quick to get into the conflict, had pictures for my daughter to look at, and moved very quickly. I think I read the whole thing to her in 20, or maybe 30, minutes. That, more than anything, shows its worth: my daughter loves books, but rarely sits for more than five minutes to listen to a single book. This one held her attention better than any other I've encountered so far.
The Nitty Gritty:
The drawings are cute and so is the story line. I very much enjoyed how quickly Ms. Rippin established who Bille B. Brown was and what her current conflict was. Billie as a character is very easy for a young child to connect with and relate to, and I believe that this book could be read to 3 and 4 year olds who really enjoy being read to and who really have a good attention span. It would also be of interest to early elementary children who are living the same struggles as Billie. This book also has large print, with very few words on a page, and tops out at around four or five chapters, making it a good transition between picture books and chapter books.
As for the writing, the only drawback--for me--is that the fast pace might make it a little harder for children to really internalize the lessons that are featured in this book. Yes, the fast pace helps keep kids' attention and allows them to more quickly complete the book, which can be a very big milestone for younger readers. However, I feel that five or ten more pages could have enhanced the secondary lesson in the book (which is currently almost entirely ignored) and allowed for a more blatant expression of Billie's growth, without significantly changing the speed with which a child can complete the book. On the flip side, removing the secondary lesson would also have left space to more fully explore the primary lesson the book presents.
Book Club Chatter:
Strictly speaking, this book is not likely to end up in a book club setting. However, my local library does have younger book clubs and they are becoming more prevalent. In the absence of a book club for your child, these questions can easily become a conversation between parent and child.
Chapter One:
--How do you think Billie could have better handled her frustrations?
Chapter Two:
--Do you think Billie should be concerned with comparing her project to Lola's?
--What do you think Billie could have done to protect her project when she discovered it was still too wet to move?
Chapter Three:
--Can you remember a time you were angry?
--How did you treat the people around you when you were angry?
--How do you think that made them feel?
--(If you are stopping and talking about each chapter as you go): What do you think Billie did to fix her project? What was her super duper idea?
Chapter Four:
--Billie compares herself to Lola and has a desire to make a project that is better than Lola's. Billie even says that Lola is perfect. Do you think it is more important for Billie to do her best or to do better than Lola? Why?
--How do you think Billie felt when Lola and Lola's friends laughed at her?
--Can you think of a time you were brave? What did you have to do? How did it make you feel to face your fear and be brave?
My Daughter's Rating: A million trillion stars
Minor Spoiler Ahead!: Because she fixed her problem when she made her sculpture.
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book is great at capturing a young reader's attention, which is why I gave it a four star rating. And it is very cute and easy to connect to. However, the fast pace resulted in glossing over the lessons covered by the book, which kept me from giving it five stars.
February 18, 2023
Billie’s class is making a city and Billie is going to make a tower but Noah breaks it and Billie can’t fix it in time. What will Billie do? It was really funny!
July 29, 2016
Sally Rippin, “Billie B Brown: The Best Project” (Prahran, Victoria, Aust: Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011).
“Billie's dad tucks her in. He reads her a book about a little girl who lives in Paris. Billie's dad tells Billie that Paris is a big city in France.
The little girl in the book walks her dog through a park full of statues and sculptures. Billie loves this book. The pictures of Paris are very beautiful.” (p19-20)
“'Thank you, Miss Swan,' she says. 'I got the idea from a book about Paris. In Paris there are sculptures everywhere!'” (p41)
“Billie's dad tucks her in. He reads her a book about a little girl who lives in Paris. Billie's dad tells Billie that Paris is a big city in France.
The little girl in the book walks her dog through a park full of statues and sculptures. Billie loves this book. The pictures of Paris are very beautiful.” (p19-20)
“'Thank you, Miss Swan,' she says. 'I got the idea from a book about Paris. In Paris there are sculptures everywhere!'” (p41)
December 24, 2014
My nearly 6 year old daughter loves the Billie B series and we're collecting them all. She's learning how to read with Billie B and by the time she starts Grade 1 next year she will have really developed her literacy skills. While I knew the books were great, it was only when she read The Best Project up to page 30 by herself that I realised the genius of the construction with repetition and words she can access, while building on her vocabulary.
September 13, 2014
When Billie's younger brother ruins her complicated tower that she created for a school assignment, she is upset, but makes the best of the situation. I liked how she modifies it and gets points later for her creativity. Although she is annoyed, she cares about her baby brother too. I'm sure many youngsters can relate to the situation--and learn from how Billie ends up handling it.
September 24, 2016
I really enjoyed it because it show how you to be resilient and how to make something new when things go wrong.
July 30, 2018
Great 👍-Eleanor, age 6
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews