--- title: Bill Cosby's Children's Book Is Called 'My Big Lie' description: 'What started as a tiny fib, grew and grew and GREW into a BIG lie. And now Little Bill is in BIG trouble!' canonical: https://time.com/4172794/bill-cosby-childrens-book-my-big-lie/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-08T18:30:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:26.316Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Bill Cosby Wrote a Children's Book Called... 'My Big Lie' og:description: 'And now Little Bill is in BIG trouble!' og:url: https://time.com/4172794/bill-cosby-childrens-book-my-big-lie/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9765a6839ce596b/69887832524fc03a2edf632a/bill-cosby-children-book-lie-trust-011.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: 'My Big Lie' by Bill Cosby. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bill Cosby Wrote a Children's Book Called... 'My Big Lie' twitter:description: 'And now Little Bill is in BIG trouble!' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9765a6839ce596b/69887832524fc03a2edf632a/bill-cosby-children-book-lie-trust-011.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bill Cosby Wrote a Children's Book Called... 'My Big Lie' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=46fde63d-be01-4ce2-b164-ff30374421e1&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Know Right Now: Bill Cosby Charged With Sexual Assault [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Bill Cosby Charged With Sexual Assault](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tSCRNA1R.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2015-12-30. Bill Cosby has been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004_  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jan 8, 2016 6:30 PM UTC  'My Big Lie' by Bill Cosby. 'My Big Lie' by Bill Cosby. Cassidy Paul for TIME  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jan 8, 2016 6:30 PM UTC Bill Cosby, one imagines, is a man with a few regrets. Surely among them is a little-noticed book he published in 1999\. It’s title? “[My Big Lie](http://www.amazon.com/Little-Bill-Book-Beginning-Readers/dp/0590521616),” “My Big Lie” is a parable about the dangers of lying. The back cover reads: “What started as a tiny fib, grew and grew and GREW into a BIG lie. And now Little Bill is in BIG trouble!” Indeed. The book — still on some grade-school shelves — also has a foreword by Dr. Alvin Pouissant, a Harvard psychiatrist who was a consultant to _The Cosby Show_, about the psychological effect of lying on small children. It’s part of a series illustrated by prominent artist Varnette P. Honeywood, who died in 2010. For some historical context, “My Big Lie” was published a few years after Cosby allegedly sexually assaulted actress Michelle Hurd in 1995, and a few years before he allegedly sexually assaulted Temple University employee Andrea Constand in 2004 — the case that has recently resulted in criminal [charges against him.](http://time.com/4164142/bill-cosby-sexual-assault-2/) Hurd and Constand are two of the [dozens ](http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/07/bill-cosbys-accusers-speak-out.html#autumn-burns2)of women who have come forward alleging that Cosby sexually assaulted them, sometimes with drugs, charges which Cosby has [consistently denied](http://www.etonline.com/news/164575%5Fbill%5Fcosby%5Ffirst%5Ftv%5Finterview%5Fsince%5Fsex%5Fscandal/).  Cassidy Paul for TIME Cassidy Paul for TIME Cassidy Paul for TIME ‘My Big Lie’ by Bill Cosby. Cassidy for TIME To anyone familiar with the allegations surrounding Bill Cosby, the book is a gold mine of irony. “Hello, friend! I’m Little Bill,” it begins. “Sorry. I can’t play with you now. I have to stay in my room and think about what I did wrong.” In the book, Little Bill lies to his parents about why he was late for dinner: he says he got into a man’s van when really he was playing basketball. When his parents try to call the police, he admits his “big lie.” It’s eerie, too, that Cosby’s book for children is not just about lying, but about making a false accusation, namely that some creepy man lured him into a van. It shows how much Cosby thinks that false allegations are not only possible, but routine — a fallacy that has been [repeatedly debunked by experts](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/12/11/the-scientific-research-shows-reports-of-rape-are-often-murky-but-rarely-false/). Yet Cosby has repeatedly [accused his alleged victims of ](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/business/cosby-faces-new-suit-for-saying-accuser-lied.html?%5Fr=0)lying, and in November sued [seven of them for defamation](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/business/cosby-faces-new-suit-for-saying-accuser-lied.html?%5Fr=0). Not surprisingly, the book has left a bit of confusion in its wake. “I cannot believe this is a children’s book!” [writes one Amazon reviewer](http://www.amazon.com/Little-Bill-Book-Beginning-Readers/product-reviews/0590521616).”I don’t think that Bill Cosby’s wrongdoings are appropriate material for kids. It’s bad enough that Bill Cosby did these horrible things, now he’s glorified them in this autobiographical children’s book! Disgusting!” The reviewer added that, “on plus side, I did get a kick out of the illustrations.” In the end of this particular story, Little Bill is absolved. After being caught in his lie, he worries he’s lost his parents’ trust. But nope: “‘I trust you,’ said Mom. ‘I trust you,’ said Dad. Then they gave me a double hug. I’m a very lucky boy. And that’s the truth!”  'My Big Lie' by Bill Cosby Cassidy Paul for TIME Lucky Little Bill! ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] The charges that have just been filed against William Henry Cosby, these charges stem from a sexual assault that took place on an evening in early 2004 at Mr. Cosby's home. In [ UNKNOWN ] Township. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4172794/bill-cosby-childrens-book-my-big-lie/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4172794/bill-cosby-childrens-book-my-big-lie/"},"headline":"Bill Cosby Wrote a Children's Book Called... 'My Big Lie'","datePublished":"2016-01-08T18:30:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:42:26.316Z","description":"'What started as a tiny fib, grew and grew and GREW into a BIG lie. 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