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A Day with Wilbur Robinson - A Children's Tale by William Joyce In his latest children's book, Joyce pulls out all the stops and introduces the weirdest family since his Lazardo clan. A young narrator, going to see his best friend Wilbur, remarks, "His house is the greatest place to visit." Readers soon see why. Wilbur's large household includes an aunt whose train set is life-sized, an uncle who shares his "deep thoughts" ("Mississippi spelled with o 's . . . would be Mossossoppo !") and a grandfather who trains a dancing frog band. There's not much in the way of formal plot here--save a slight mystery involving Grandfather's missing false teeth--but Joyce's wonderfully strange paintings abound with hilarious, surprising details and leave the impression that a lot has happened. A visit to the Robinsons' is a bit overwhelming (as the narrator says, "I was kind of sad to leave, but I was ready to go home for a while"), but it's a trip children will want to make again and again. |
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