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The Ballad of Billy McFee: A sea shanty to read or sing
This is the funny and uplifting children's picture book that has all the clams talking - and everyone else singing to the viral tune of the Wellerman sea shanty!!!
Billy McFee is a colorful and resourceful young fish who dreams of sailing a ship that he found stuck in the muck at the bottom of the sea. Billy sees potential in the ship while everyone else swims right past. Billy struggles to free the ship while shrugging off negative comments from onlookers (a pair of naysayer clams). When Billy cannot move the ship by himself, he becomes a leader and builds a crew of diverse friends: a friendly shark, a big strong whale, and an intellectual crab. Billy and his friends sing as they work, just as sailors of yore sang to synchronize their efforts. But unlike many old sea shanties, the Ballad of Billy McFee is friendly to all sea creatures and is appropriate for people of all ages.
The Ballad of Billy McFee is packed to the gills with character development, subplots, puns, and Easter eggs for young and old to find. For example, everyone in the story is on a journey of some kind - whether it be physical or mental, intended or unintended. Some readers will want to get out the magnifying glass and explore the covers of the books which the crab (Emma) reads on her journey of self-improvement. Others will want to follow the antics of the naysayer clams. Singers of the book may want to ignore the clams (just like Billy does) so the pages can be turned to keep up with the rhythm. It's all good! There is no wrong way to read or sing the Ballad of Billy McFee. This book is all about celebrating our differences. Through our diversity, we are stronger together!
How will YOU tell Billy's uplifting story? Some people read it like a rhyming story. Some people sing it to the tune of the Wellerman. Some people rap it to a hip hop beat. Some people make up their own tune.
You can read it - you can sing it - whatever floats YOUR boat!
38 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2021
6 people are currently reading
5213 people want to read
About the author
Ruby Mosher
1 book33 followersMy family says I'm a lot like Emma, the crab in The Ballad of Billy McFee. I'm not sure if I see it. Do you?
I've been an avid reader (and listener) of books all my life. I believe reading to their children is one of the most important things a parent can do. It is a shared activity of learning, bonding, and joy. I loved reading books to my children when they were young. We brought home a new bag of books from the library each week. I was as excited as my children (or more so?) to find new books and authors to love. Now that I have grandchildren, I am reminded of the joy of reading children's picture books.
The Ballad of Billy McFee is my debut children's picture book. I hope parents and children enjoy reading it as much I enjoyed creating it.
I've been an avid reader (and listener) of books all my life. I believe reading to their children is one of the most important things a parent can do. It is a shared activity of learning, bonding, and joy. I loved reading books to my children when they were young. We brought home a new bag of books from the library each week. I was as excited as my children (or more so?) to find new books and authors to love. Now that I have grandchildren, I am reminded of the joy of reading children's picture books.
The Ballad of Billy McFee is my debut children's picture book. I hope parents and children enjoy reading it as much I enjoyed creating it.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 25, 2022
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Ballad of Billy McFee: A sea shanty to read or sing
Author: Ruby Mosher
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 18
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 3/5
Of the 18 readers:
13 would read another book by this author.
13 thought the cover was good or excellent.
18 felt it was easy to follow.
14 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
11 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
13 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“A fun, little book about not giving up. I liked the rhyming text. It was consistent in terms of rhyme and rhythm. There’s also a good message here for children about working together.” Primary school teacher, aged 54
“I liked this book. I thought the fish was sweet looking, but the clams were naughty. I also liked how it was funny in parts. I thought the drawings were okay but a bit too simple.” Girl, aged 6 – with a little help from her teacher
“I think the tongue twisters were fun to say. We sang it in our class which was fun too. Most of the class thought Billy McFee was the best character but I liked the crab. I think the message in the book was good too. I think if I was a fish and saw a shipwreck, I would want to go sailing on it like Billy.” Girl, aged 7 – with a little help from her mum
“I’m glad that it was funny as I like funny books.” Bot, aged 6
To Sum It Up:
‘A humorous story with a strong message of not giving up and working together. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: The Ballad of Billy McFee: A sea shanty to read or sing
Author: Ruby Mosher
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 18
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 3/5
Of the 18 readers:
13 would read another book by this author.
13 thought the cover was good or excellent.
18 felt it was easy to follow.
14 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
11 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
13 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“A fun, little book about not giving up. I liked the rhyming text. It was consistent in terms of rhyme and rhythm. There’s also a good message here for children about working together.” Primary school teacher, aged 54
“I liked this book. I thought the fish was sweet looking, but the clams were naughty. I also liked how it was funny in parts. I thought the drawings were okay but a bit too simple.” Girl, aged 6 – with a little help from her teacher
“I think the tongue twisters were fun to say. We sang it in our class which was fun too. Most of the class thought Billy McFee was the best character but I liked the crab. I think the message in the book was good too. I think if I was a fish and saw a shipwreck, I would want to go sailing on it like Billy.” Girl, aged 7 – with a little help from her mum
“I’m glad that it was funny as I like funny books.” Bot, aged 6
To Sum It Up:
‘A humorous story with a strong message of not giving up and working together. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
March 24, 2022
This sweet little story will amuse a child while gently teaching them a few valuable life-lessons.
Our hero, Billy McFee, is a determined, cheery little fish that has a goal. He wants to sail a sunken ship that's stuck in the muck of the ocean floor. As he struggles to pull the ship free, he's heckled by two clams who think his efforts are useless, while a little crab sits in a cozy nook made of kelp and reads books. The titles add amusement to the whole situation.
The clams remind me a lot of The Muppet Show's Statler and Waldorf. The clams have their own storyline running concurrently with Billy's story. I don't think children will have any trouble following along with both storylines, though.
Parents may end up reading this story on repeat if their child bonds with it. Be prepared for lots of shanty singing!
Our hero, Billy McFee, is a determined, cheery little fish that has a goal. He wants to sail a sunken ship that's stuck in the muck of the ocean floor. As he struggles to pull the ship free, he's heckled by two clams who think his efforts are useless, while a little crab sits in a cozy nook made of kelp and reads books. The titles add amusement to the whole situation.
The clams remind me a lot of The Muppet Show's Statler and Waldorf. The clams have their own storyline running concurrently with Billy's story. I don't think children will have any trouble following along with both storylines, though.
Parents may end up reading this story on repeat if their child bonds with it. Be prepared for lots of shanty singing!
March 26, 2022
So, I won this book in the GoodReads giveaway and received it promptly. What I didn’t realize is that it could be sung to a song I know quite well, The Wellerman! We often figured out tunes to the words of my daughter’s picture books and sang them to here but Ruby Mosher has eliminated the search for a song and rewritten the words of a shanty for me. Brilliantly done, very clever, and what a shanty to pick! Thank you for the awesome gift, Ruby! All my young parent friends will be getting a copy!!
April 5, 2022
This was a super cute book! I won it in a giveaway and read it to my daughter the day it arrived. Not only was the story cute, but the illustrations created even more stories as you read through it. The author does say that you can read it or sing it, and give a tune suggestion. we did both! This book is so fun for my kiddo it is in her regular rotation now. Because she is so happy with it, and it kept my attention too, it's definitely a 5 star book
April 9, 2022
I can't read this book without singing it. This sea shanty tells the story of a hard-working fish sailor who is trying to get a stuck sailboat unstuck. The lyrics are great. I would change the crab input though. It starts out cute, but then it gets to be interfering. I also have a problem with the fact that boats don't sail under the sea and the fish can't leave the water to actually sail the boat.
April 2, 2022
Omg! I received it in a giveaway. I didn’t expect it to touch my heart like this. I also showed it to my co-workers at work they also liked the meaning behind it that “kids need to learn to ignore a lot of negative chatter just as Billy Mcfee”. This is a crucial step in a child’s growth for him/her to be a better individual and achieve their goals.
April 2, 2022
Don't get yourself in a jam,
And be a naysayer like a clam.
This story is so nice,
And offers good advice.
The efforts of the team,
give this story steam.
And with a little luck,
The Ship gets unstuck.
But if there were one thing
I would change.
In this entire amalgamation.
The story I wouldn't rearrange.
But would get better animation.
And be a naysayer like a clam.
This story is so nice,
And offers good advice.
The efforts of the team,
give this story steam.
And with a little luck,
The Ship gets unstuck.
But if there were one thing
I would change.
In this entire amalgamation.
The story I wouldn't rearrange.
But would get better animation.
March 25, 2022
I received a giveaway copy and I was super excited to read it to my little sisters and nephew. They absolutely enjoyed reading it. We read it twice. Once as a poem and once as a song. I love how you can’t go wrong when reading this book because it can be read in different styles. This is definitely going to be a bedtime story too!
September 27, 2023
Cute story
Can a couple of ‘naysayers’ stop Bill McFee when his boat is stuck? Lovely rhyming song with a very important message for children. Lovely illustrations especially enjoyed reading what the clams had to say too.
Can a couple of ‘naysayers’ stop Bill McFee when his boat is stuck? Lovely rhyming song with a very important message for children. Lovely illustrations especially enjoyed reading what the clams had to say too.
April 7, 2022
Thank you for the book, I got to read (sing) it to my nephew!
May 9, 2022
Definitely listen to The Wellerman song first; you’ll be singing your way through the story! Cute book with a great message for the little ones.
March 23, 2022
#goodreads-giveaway
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. My granddaughter and I loved the story, pictures, and messages of teamwork and positivity.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. My granddaughter and I loved the story, pictures, and messages of teamwork and positivity.
January 24, 2022
Billy McFee is a fish with a ship. The problem is his ship is stuck in the muck. He wants to sail his ship and have fun, but he can not pull it free. While singing a shanty and working to pull the ship free, he attracts the attention of other sea creatures. Two clams tell him he will fail. A crab watches from the seaweed, and a shark and a whale swim over to help. Finally, the unlikely team works together to free the ship from the muck.
This whimsical children’s book, written by Ruby Mosher, takes a sea shanty theme and turns it into a lighthearted story about teamwork, diversity, and positive thinking. The song aside, this book has fantastic artwork that will appeal to adults and children. There are many easter eggs hidden in the pages and parallel stories. The clams are hysterical with their naysayer attitude and side discussions that relate back to Billy’s ship problem. Billy learns to ignore them, just like we all have to ignore the naysayers that try and push us off our own paths. All the books that Emma the crab is reading have entertaining titles and give fun extra facts relating to nautical topics and self-esteem. Each member of Billy’s crew brings unique talents to the ship and this memorable story.
This captivating children’s book is designed to be read as a poem, a story, or sung as a sea shanty. This heartwarming picture book is a highly original concept that combines all the messages and storylines into one big picture while imparting critical social messages to children.
The Ballad of Billy McFee: A sea shanty to read or sing is an entertaining picture book that children and parents will love to read or sing to. Teachers can use this book for all preschool and elementary school-age children to teach different morals or introduce ocean science units.
This whimsical children’s book, written by Ruby Mosher, takes a sea shanty theme and turns it into a lighthearted story about teamwork, diversity, and positive thinking. The song aside, this book has fantastic artwork that will appeal to adults and children. There are many easter eggs hidden in the pages and parallel stories. The clams are hysterical with their naysayer attitude and side discussions that relate back to Billy’s ship problem. Billy learns to ignore them, just like we all have to ignore the naysayers that try and push us off our own paths. All the books that Emma the crab is reading have entertaining titles and give fun extra facts relating to nautical topics and self-esteem. Each member of Billy’s crew brings unique talents to the ship and this memorable story.
This captivating children’s book is designed to be read as a poem, a story, or sung as a sea shanty. This heartwarming picture book is a highly original concept that combines all the messages and storylines into one big picture while imparting critical social messages to children.
The Ballad of Billy McFee: A sea shanty to read or sing is an entertaining picture book that children and parents will love to read or sing to. Teachers can use this book for all preschool and elementary school-age children to teach different morals or introduce ocean science units.
November 30, 2021
The Ballad of Billy McFee: A sea shanty to read or sing.
AUTHOR-RUBY MOSHER
KINDLE
PICTUR BOOK
40 PAGES
This kindle version filled my entire screen with its beautiful colors. Billy McFee wants to sail a ship, but it is stuck at the bottom of the sea. He requires the help of a small crew (a shark, a whale, and a crab) to get it out of the muck. As each one works to help him, he makes it all fun by singing a song.
Here are the first few pages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpgO...
Kids learn how to accomplish a difficult, in this case-heavy, task with teamwork. A song for inspiration is also here.
I received this through a #GoodReadsGiveaway.
AUTHOR-RUBY MOSHER
KINDLE
PICTUR BOOK
40 PAGES
This kindle version filled my entire screen with its beautiful colors. Billy McFee wants to sail a ship, but it is stuck at the bottom of the sea. He requires the help of a small crew (a shark, a whale, and a crab) to get it out of the muck. As each one works to help him, he makes it all fun by singing a song.
Here are the first few pages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpgO...
Kids learn how to accomplish a difficult, in this case-heavy, task with teamwork. A song for inspiration is also here.
I received this through a #GoodReadsGiveaway.
December 15, 2021
I received a copy via a Goodreads giveaway and it turned out to be a reasonably delightful story. It's bright, and rhythmic, and has plenty details to occupy a little one for some time. Another plus is it's well made for Kindle, without any weird formatting bugs common for children's books lately.
January 4, 2022
A cute little story with great illustrations that presents a positive message of endeavor, effort and teamwork for the young child. Very upbeat.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
March 1, 2024
A cute little ditty or tale (depending on how you read it that highlights the power of perseverance and teamwork. A nice, short read for children with entertaining side characters, a side plot, and Easter eggs to keep you enthralled with the simple story.
November 27, 2021
Fun to read with kids
A fun and great read with kids… read and sing, a great lesson for kids and adults to learn!! Worth the time to read….
A fun and great read with kids… read and sing, a great lesson for kids and adults to learn!! Worth the time to read….
December 31, 2021
Fun book for little kids!
January 7, 2022
Adorable and funny! Book about working together to complete a task (and a side story of being positive). Funny side jokes and hidden things throughout that had me laughing!
May 10, 2022
It's a sweet story along with a catchy shanty. I can't wait to real/sing it with my nieces and nephews.
June 3, 2022
my granddaughter totally loved this book. me thinks we will be reading again and again for sure
November 11, 2022
Great kids book
August 10, 2023
This is a fun book. I love reading and singing it to my daughter. I wish there were more of them.
March 1, 2024
A cute, short read with simple pictures for kids to investigate while learning rhyming words. Messages of perseverance and friendship add more color to the otherwise simple narrative.
January 25, 2025
What a great ballad or rendition of the original song. The author wrote this for her grandchildren and I read this to mine; they loved it!
December 18, 2024
I enjoyed the Ballad of Billy McFee so much! Be sure and look up the music and sing along, it’s a catchy tune and it’ll get stuck in your head. It’s a cute book about a fish trying to get a ship unstuck and getting it to go. It’s a sweet story with a positive message of helping and working together. It also teaches kids to keep on trying even when there’s negativity from others. The illustrations are great. This is now one of my favorite children’s books.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews