A Day with Wilbur Robinson

August 29, 1990
Dinosaur Bob fans should rejoice: in his latest work, 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. Ages 4-8.