Silly I Am And Silly I'll Be...

When people talk about their favorite childhood books, you hear the typical answers:  Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, Shel Silverstein.  The usual suspects.  I loved them all but when I talk about my favorite, few people remember it.  I think that’s a crying shame.

The Adventures Of Silly Billy by Tamara Kitt was a staple on my grandmother’s bookshelf and, later, I had my own copy.  I read it at least once during every visit to Grandma’s and read it on my own at home.  I still quote it in my head – “Silly you are and silly you’ll be…” – when I witness silliness in action.

If you’re not familiar with the story, Billy is an underappreciated idea man.  He sits and thinks and plans and creates and, when he shares his ideas with his parents, he’s met with chuckles, headshakes and criticism: “Oh, you silly boy!” and “Silly you are and silly you will be as long as you live.”

Billy knew better.   So he went out into the world to find someone sillier than himself.  He found them.  Easily.  And he solved their problems by applying just a little bit of common sense.  Repairing holes in a pan that wouldn’t hold water, counting men who forgot to count themselves and suggesting windows to the people who lived in the dark, dark house revealed William The Wise to the world.  He was lauded and rewarded for his wisdom. 

When he returned home, he brought a gold watch for his father, a bag of gold coins for his mother, and a gold crown for himself.  They were amazed and praised their Silly Billy but he demanded to never be called silly again and said that he preferred his proper name, William.  Then he went back to sit and think and plan and create once more.

It’s a children’s book, obviously.  And perhaps it’s outdated (printed in 1961) with its Long Ago/Far Away theme but when I had my own children I wanted them to know Billy.  I scoured the internet until I found a copy on Ebay and had it in my hands once again.  The real bummer, however, is that my kids don’t share my love for my favorite hero.  They prefer the Five Chinese Brothers but they humor me and sit still while I read it to them.

While I love the old-fashioned illustrations (beautifully done by Jill Elgin), I think what speaks to me is not childish at all.  How many of us have been told our dreams or ideas are ridiculous, impossible, or unrealistic?  And how many forge on past the nay-sayers and go on to dream again?  Sadly, I think the majority stops when their ideas are criticized.  Imagine if all the Billys of the world just gave up.  Where would we be?

Silly is relative, isn’t it?  Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to see it from a different angle.  And sometimes, in the midst of a problem, an outside perspective is just what it takes to see it.  While the townspeople couldn’t see the forest for the trees, so to speak, Silly Billy’s viewpoint allowed him to see the trees in the forest and the answers were clear.

OK, so planting popcorn didn’t produce the bags and bags of popped corn he anticipated.  Giving boiling water to his hens did not produce the hard boiled eggs he envisioned. To those people in need that he encountered, he was not silly at all.  He was a visionary.  A problem-solver.  His ideas were wonderful and desperately needed.

Billy’s not the first to be scoffed at.  Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell both invented aircraft that didn’t work.  Leonardo DaVinci’s inflatable shoes for walking on water were a flop.  Henry Ford had five failed businesses before his motor company took off.  Walt Disney was fired because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Some considered them too silly to succeed.   Thankfully, all of these “Silly” people ignored the naysayers and kept going back to the drawing board.

This is why I want my kids to know Silly Billy.  He may not be as exciting as Captain Underpants or that Wimpy Kid with his diaries, but he’s a perfect role model for being who you are, with no excuses.  I hope they will continue to tolerate him and remember that their silly ideas are valuable and worth a try.  Maybe they’ll have some misses, but I’m willing to bet they’ll have some hits as well.

As for myself, I already know I’m one of the silly ones.  Some get it.  Some roll their eyes and humor me.  That’s okay.  Silly I am and silly I will be as long as I live.  Got a problem with that?