Even better than Ferdinand, this is the tale of a boy caught between Highland and Lowland Scottish cultures who finds a calling that makes all his dissentious relatives happy: playing an extraordinarily large bagpipes. ( )

ok story, great illustrations! ( )

I love this book. Not only does it have historical relevance but it beautifully introduces finding your own identity and to love your uniqueness. This is the second book as to why Munro Leaf is my favorite author.

Wee Gillis is brought up in a divided family (his father is from one clan and his mother is from another). The book follows him having to decide between which clan to live with. This could be a good book for kids who's parents are going through a divorce (as long as they will live part time with one parent and part time with another).
I didn't really like the illustrations. ( )

Alastair Roderic Craigellachie Dalhousie Gowan Donny-bristle MacMac, better known as Wee Gillis, was of mixed Lowland and Highland Scots heritage, and spent his childhood caught between the two, shuttling between his Lowland mother's kin, who brought him up tending long-haired cattle, and his Highland father's relations, who had him stalking stags through the hills. Whether calling for the cattle, or holding his breath in order to avoid frightening his cervine quarry, Wee Gillis was always strengthening his lungs - something that would come in handy when he was finally forced to choose which path he would follow in life: Lowland or Highland.

Chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1939 - other titles to be so distinguished that year include Andy and the Lion, Barkis, The Forest Pool and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - this charming tale was the second collaboration between author Munro Leaf and illustrator Robert Lawson, following upon their 1936 classic, The Story of Ferdinand. I greatly enjoyed both the story and the artwork here, appreciating Leaf's solution to the issue of mixed heritage - how fortunate that Wee Gillis' lung power will allow him to become a piper, someone who will be welcome in both Lowlands and Highlands! - and found the illustrations just lovely. All in all, this is just a wonderful picture-book, one that well deserves its recent (2006) reprint as part of The New York Review Children's Collection! ( )