School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-While tending his grill, an unsuspecting Willy is visited by "some colored lights from outer space," and three-eyed, little green men wearing spurs appear and apparently have a craving for some chili. With a knee-slappin' rhythm, the occasional hitch in the rhyme scheme, and a few too many gratuitous "yippee ki-yee's," Willy rustles up some grub and plays the fiddle till his guests drop. Then he pulls the ol' switcheroo and takes their ship for a ride. The final pages show Willy throwin' down at his very own BBQ joint on their home planet while the aliens tend his turnips. McCauley's illustrations use rich desert colors and comic proportions to play up the wacky story line. The recipe for "Willy's Out of This World Barbecue Sauce" might inspire a tasty food-themed program.-Jenna Boles, Washington-Centerville Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
At home on the range, underneath glorious Western skies, a farmer named Willy is whipping up a modest dinner on his barbecue grill. The delicious smells attract a flying saucer filled with little green men whose endless demands for food and entertainment turn Willy from fearful ("Yippee ki-yi! Yippee ki-yay!/ I think they might take me away!") to annoyed ("Those little fellas just won't stop;/ I keep on fiddlin' 'til they drop") in short order. Clever Willy steals the aliens' spaceship, takes it to a distant star (his route is mapped through a night sky gatefold that tips a cowboy hat to classic SF comic books), and opens up a hoedown-themed eatery that might just give Star Wars' Mos Eisley Cantina a run for its money. Although Duval's (The Three Bears' Halloween) rhyming is rather literal, it doesn't much matter. McCauley's (June and August) midcentury-inspired renderings and handsome vintage palette (his use of teal and deep red is particularly impressive) convey all the cheeky eeriness that this farmer vs. aliens story needs. Ages 3-5. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Plumb tired after a heck of a workday, Willy's a-fixing to grill himself up some ribs when a flying saucer causes a ruckus by lowering over his desert shack. Cat's meowin', cow's a lowin'. / Dog's a-howlin', chicken's GLOWIN'! Out scampers a big mess of greenies three-eyed aliens drawn by that heavenly smell. We don't want your leader, Willy, / Just your barbecue and chili. Down the hatch go the ribs (the cowboy hat tastes pretty good with hot sauce, too), but while the greenies are stomping their boots along to Willy's fiddle, Willy sneaks aboard the ship and takes off across the galaxy a three-page foldout tracks his progress to enjoy sweet success as the owner of Willy's BBQ on an alien planet. Duval has a darned good time mixing up a stew of western and sci-fi tropes, while McCauley marshals his watercolors into earth tones for the desert and pastels for the UFO lights. Occasional wordless spreads let readers bask in the goofiness, and a recipe for Willy's Out of This World Barbecue Sauce concludes.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist