Synopsis
Wilma's parents don't know quite what to do when their daughter wakes up green and requests bugs for breakfast. At school, Wilma's teachers are appalled by her unusually colorful antics. Wherever Wilma goes, surprises await her-and readers of this irresistibly funny fable. Absurd and action-packed. -The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Publishers Weekly
There's something decidedly odd about Wilma: at breakfast, her parents are startled by their offspring's request to ``Pass the bugs''; later, she shocks her teacher by snagging a ``tasty little fly'' with her long pink tongue. Most noticeably, however, Wilma's skin has turned a deep, froggy green, a fact that her polka-dot T-shirt and beribboned blond hair cannot conceal. In this strange and gleeful story, it's surprisingly easy being green--the extraordinary heroine is the envy of her elementary-school class. Arnold's rhyming text is as buoyant as his leaf-colored, rubbery-limbed protagonist; his roly-poly, bug-eyed characters perfectly suit the story's quirky theme and manic action. Squiggly, threadlike lines--suggestive of handmade paper--cover every surface in the richly colored illustrations, subtly adding an unusual softness and depth. Though some youngsters may be puzzled by the book's conclusion, this gifted picture book creator ( No Jumping on the Bed! ; The Signpainter's Assistant ) has taken his talents in a quirky, unconventional direction with this tale, which takes daydreaming to new and zany heights. Ages 4-8. A Children's BOMC selection. (Mar.)