Who's a Pest?: A Homer Story

by Crosby Newell Bonsall

Everyone says Homer is a pest -- especially his sisters, Lolly, Molly, Polly and Dolly. But Homer knows he isn't and soon he has the chance to prove it!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Crosby Barbara Newell Bonsall, b. Jan. 2, 1921; d. Jan. 10, 1995 was an American artist and children's book author and illustrator. She wrote and illustrated more than 40 children's books.

Bonsall began writing and illustrating for juvenile readers after working for advertising firms.

Born Crosby Barbara Newell, she married George Bonsall.

Works were published as Crosby Newell, Crosby Bonsall, and Crosby Newell Bonsall.

Reviews

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple plot, wonderfully written. Complete with memorable characters and quotations. Hurray for Homer--who else could survive that cadre of sisters? In my family we still regale each other with a slow deliberate "You're a pest!" To which one responds, of course: "Beans. I'm not a pest!"

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have searched high and low for the book with the words "Homer, you're a pest" in it and finally found it here in someone's review! This book was my favorite as a child, but I never knew the title only remembered the story! Love it.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Lolly, Molly, Polly and Dolly all looked at Homer. Homer was their brother. "I didn't do it," said Homer. "Yes, you did," they said. "Yes, you did. And you're a pest!" Then Lolly and Molly and Polly and Dolly all turned their backs. "Beans," said Homer, "I'm not a pest."

Premise/plot: Who's A Pest is a dialogue driven early reader from the early 1960s. It stars Homer, his sisters, and a LOT of animals. How very easy it is to be misunderstood!

My thoughts: I could not resist this one when I saw it in my local charity shop. The dialogue was so funny. Perhaps not ha-ha funny. But funny nonetheless.

Homer sat down.
Soon he heard a sound.
"Help," it said.
"Help! Help! Help!"
Homer looked around.
"Help who?" he asked.
"Help me," said the sound.
"Who's me?" Homer asked.
"Me is me. I don't know who you are," said the sound.
"I'm Homer," said Homer.
"Please help me, Homer," said the sound.
"Where are you?" cried Homer.
"Here," said the sound.
"Where's here?" asked Homer.
"Here is here," said the sound.
"Oh, my," cried Homer, "I'll never find you. I don't know where here is."

Homer soon enlists others to help him search for ME. Anyway, I found the book delightful. I'm not sure children will equally be delighted by this vintage I Can Read book. (It does have a LOT of text per page.)

[Jenna White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of very few books at my nana and papas house. I can still picture how my nana would read this book to us grandkids. ❤️

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book certainly does bring to mind pests as the first few pages are so annoying and frustrating I almost wanted to quit reading!!! Poor Homer gets into so many confusing discussions (that, through frustration, lead to arguments) with his sisters and the woodland creatures. ARGH! These are of the variety of the "Who's on first" joke. But, the illustrations are so charming I felt compelled to keep reading and things got more complex and entertaining as the book went along. I enjoyed the resolution although I could have done without the last page. Can't say too much more without spoilers. Obviously, though, this is an enduring story since it was first published in the '60s and is still around today. I'll be checking into more, less pesky, titles from Bonsall soon.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

While looking for a particular book in my library last night, I stumbled across my copy of this. It's a very old copy - no ISBN, it was by Crosby NEWELL Bonsall, put out by Harper & Row, Publishers, and printed in 1962. It's also been scribbled all over with a ball-point pen by (I presume) my pest of a kid brother, who's now 37 years old.

I remembered loving, loving, loving this book as a kid. So, I re-read it last night. (As an adult, I can do that sort of thing and it only takes five minutes of my time.)

I still love, love, love this book. What a hoot! All those 'Who's on first?' jokes. Hahahahahahaha!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this story when I was younger. Having re-read it recently, I must admit that some of the subtler details went over my head back then! I look forward to reading it to my young-un.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The humour in this book is right up my alley....dry as all get out. I used to have this book memorized and would do readings of it to kids and teens like a little kid story-time, talking really fast in parts and never looking at the pages. It was a hit.
Homer is such a sweet character. Don't listen to the lies of the world around you, Homer! You speak truth to those lies and set them straight, Homer!

[Kymberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute lil' Homer gets the brunt of everyone. is very misunderstood and he gets into some confusing conversations. I like the play on words but I wish it taught children that they should be kind to one another instead of calling names and ignoring each other. I like the idea the author had but felt he could of done so much more with teaching a moral lesson.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my. Since I'm a fan of the Who's on First routine, I really enjoyed this. But Gabriel's review eloquently points out other things to love about Homer and his friends. I hope more books by this author are on openlibrary, as I'm sure that they're hard to find in libraries now.

[Beverlee Jobrack · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, a 1962 children's book. Homer has 4 sisters who look exactly alike and think he's a pest. Girls in these books are so stereotypical. When I was in elementary school, I just accepted that boys were the ones who were smart and figured things out. That's the way it was.

[THOMAS C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the funniest children's book ever.

[Terra Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an excellent bit of nostalgia. My mother and aunt used to quote this book constantly.

Having finally gotten a copy and read it, it's definitely a good time. I enjoyed it greatly.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when my mom reads this one aloud. This is one I always associate with her, and so it is very precious.

5/11/10 I still love this book. I always enjoy reading it aloud. And I think the children enjoyed seeing my enjoyment. But it ended there. They didn't understand most of it. They didn't follow the story (until the very end). And it was WAY too long for them. But they sat so well and still for it and the rest of the storytime. I was very impressed with them. They did like seeing who was making all the fuss in the hole. And who cannot help smiling at "Lolly, Molly, Polly, and Dolly?" Still, decided to pass on this for the Thu. group.

Maybe a school-age would get it? Maybe not. It does seem to work best as a lap-read because the pauses in between pages for a group make the book longer and loses some of the effect.

[Jill Stroup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who's a Pest? was the first book I read by myself. The story is about a boy named Homer and his sisters, Lolly, Molly, Polly, and Dolly who think he is a pest. Homer runs into many characters who agree with the sisters and also call Homer a pest. Homer then hears someone calling for help from a hole in the ground, and goes to help them. Homer ends up saving a bear, who reassures Homer that he is not a pest at all. It is a simple children's book, but it is also fairly long. This would be good for 1st-2nd graders who are starting to get used to reading longer stories without getting bored. This is a book that a lot of people don't know about, but it is really good, and would be great in an elementary classroom.

[Monica Marlowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 year old son brought this home one evening for his 1st grade reading homework. There is a lot of play on words and language sparring in the book. At first I wasn't sure if he would understand, since he still reads very flatly, but then he busted out in a giggling fit. His 11 year old sister heard the laughter and joined in to listen to the second half. I read it to them so I could play up the playful dialogue and add in some voices. They were in tears, my son laughed so hard he turned bright red. This is definitely a story for a child who has some language mastery in order to pick up on the humor. We ordered a copy for the house because I know we'll be reading it again.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite picture books. I still have the copy Mom read to us as children. It's absolutely falling apart, but I love reading it to my kids now.
Homer is a misunderstood little boy whose sisters think he's a pest. (Most sisters would think this about their brothers, right?!?) The animals Homer runs into in the woods all think he's a pest for various reasons, too. In the end, he saves the day, and all is well. My son laughs each time we read this. It never gets old.
Just a fun little picture book!

[midnightfaerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this was a fun read with all it's plays on words, and the pictures kept both my 5 yr old and my twin 3 yr olds interested, in the end, my 5 yr old said he just didn't enjoy it much and didn't see himself reading it again. I think it was one of those stories you could read once, but more than once, and it would get a bit tedious. Perhaps for older children it'd be more fun.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Who's a Pest?" This book! I read over half of it out loud to my 4 year old granddaughter and she lost intrest in it after the first few pages and I started getting a headache. It is nothing but argueing back and forth about repeating what the other said. Over and over and over etc again.

Really disappointed in this book as generally I like Mr Bonsall's books

[babyhippoface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just re-read this today, and I think I'm going to try it as a read-aloud to introduce the kiddos to Crosby Bonsall. The dialogue is like an Abbott & Costello routine, and I think that if I can keep all the voices straight, the kids will get a big kick out of all the confusion.

[Traca · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book as a child! Anyone who loves words and plays-on-words will love this book. (Think "Who's On First" for kids!)

[Liaken · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood stories. I love Homer's antics with his hat.

[Duckyday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read this book constantly as a child, I proclaim this my favorite book. I quote it frequently at two to two, and my most "pest"y pet is named for this Homer, not the Iliad.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are having a bad day, read this book. It will make you laugh! "Beans" said Homer.

[melanie (lit*chick) · Rating 5 out of 5]

seek out some of these retro early readers - they are a delight!

[Lapriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a favorite from when I was a child. I've read it over and over.

[Natalie Frasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite "laugh out loud" books that I read over and over again as a child and now read over and over again to my children.

[Jennifer Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book for young readers, it plays with pronouns and with the concept that everyone is a pest sometimes. Calling my son a pest is a term of endearment from this book.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hysterical! After reading this, I just sat down and read everything else we had by Crosby Bonsall.

[Mak]

One of the original grungers..