Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review Any large picture book that begins, Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards, upside down, as this one does, is guaranteed to be an instant hit with very young children. As one might predict, Silly Sally meets a host of animals along the road. A pig comes along first and joins her in her backwards, upside-down antics. Then follow a dog, a loon, and finally a sheep, who puts the whole crowd to sleep (backwards, upside down, of course). It is Neddy Buttercup, dressed as a flower, walking forwards, right side up, who rouses the group and then joins them as they parade into town walking backwards, upside down. Wee ones will love the singsong rhyme and enthusiastically chant the nonsensical refrain. To the clever text are added distinctive watercolor paintings, exploding with whimsy, humor, and zest as the characters prance across the pages against sunny yellow backgrounds. Here is a neatly packaged gem of a book with smiling, redÿ2Dcurled, upside-down Silly Sally inviting readers to join in the fun. Be prepared to read this one a thousand times! (Reviewed Mar. 15, 1992)

Horn Book

Silly Sally went to town, / walking backwards, upside down.

Kirkus Reviews

The characters in Wood's sunny, simple pen and watercolor illustrations fairly bounce off the page in this exuberant cumulative rhyme. Bloomers-topmost, Silly Sally goes to town walking backwards, upside down''; along the way, she meets a silly pig, a silly dog, a silly loon, and a silly sheep—until, finally, Neddy Buttercup (walking forwards, right side up'') comes along and manages to get the whole crew into town in a frenzy of tickles, grins, and flying limbs. A surefire read-aloud. (Picture book. 3-7)"

School Library Journal (Tue Feb 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)

PreS-K-- Watercolor cartoons illustrate this bit of cumulative nonsense. ``Silly Sally went to town,/ walking backwards, upside down./ On the way she met a pig,/a silly pig,/they danced a jig.'' Sally and pig (upside down) meet and are joined in their walk by a dog, a bird, a sheep and (ta-dum!) Neddy Buttercup, who sets everything to rights. However, Silly Sally manages to get them all in formation whereupon they proceed to town following her roundabout lead. Bright double-page spreads carry the tale, forecasting each encounter. Sally, with orange corkscrew hair, a mischievous grin, and wearing ruffled pantaloons beneath her purple frock, appears to be able to coerce 'most anybody into 'most anything, and soon has the townspeople walking backwards, upside down. No moral, no underlying theme, no real story--just unabashed silliness. --Virginia Opocensky, formerly at Lincoln City Libraries, NE