A Day with Wilbur Robinson [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

William Joyce (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Come meet the Robinsons: Young Wilbur has a robot. Uncle Art has his own flying saucer. Cousin Laszlo has an antigravity device. The butler is an octopus.

It's snowing in the east wing. And somebody left the Time Machine on, so . . . Well, perhaps you'd care to read what happens next.

From William Joyce, creator of the Emmy-winning Rolie Polie Olie as well as author and illustrator of a stack of whimsy-based entertainments for children and like-minded adults.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Each family is odd is in its own way, but none is as eccentric as young Wilbur Robinson's. Joyce expands on his 1990 title just in time for the story's film adaptation, Meet the Robinsons, next year. The basic story is the same: Wilbur's best friend describes a visit to the Robinson house, which begins when a giant octopus opens the door. New spreads include images of an uncle who throws snowballs and dinosaurs lounge poolside (the time machine was left on). The endpapers and cover have also been redesigned. As in the original, the real fun is in the tension between the deadpan words and the fantastical pictures: "It's kind of dull around here today," says Wilbur as a giant locomotive steams through the hall and an uncle shoots himself from a cannon. Save this for small groups, which will most appreciate the wondrous visual details. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

William Joyce lives in Shreveport, Louisiana, with his lovely wife, Elizabeth, and their children, Mary Katherine and Jack. They also have a dachshund named Rose and something else named Rex. Mr. Joyce has produced two animated television shows based on his books: Rolie Polie Olie and George Shrinks. He also produced and designed the animated feature film Robots. Every once in a while he does a cover for The New Yorker. His alarmingly optimistic picture books include Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo, Santa Calls, The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs, and Bently & Egg.He is currently futzing around on several books and stories that embrace the alleged healing power of heroically scaled silliness.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Laura Geringer (August 22, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 0060890983
• ASIN: B001IDZKEY
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A true luminary and creative spirit, William Joyce has put his personal stamp on children's media in every direction. His picture books include George Shrinks, Dinosaur Bob and Santa Calls; he's won three Emmy awards for his Rolie Polie Olie animated series; developed character concepts for Toy Story and A Bug's Life; and his films include Robots and Meet the Robinsons. He's currently co-directing The Guardians for DREAMWORKS, and is producing The Leaf Men, based on his picturebook. He lives in Shreveport, LA, and is the founder of Moonbot Studios.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Children's Book. Only somewhat like "Meet the Robinsons", May 2, 2007

By 

A. Stagg (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Day with Wilbur Robinson (Hardcover)

I was afraid that my kids would not resonate to this book after expectations that it was the Meet the Robinsons book. That was not the case. My children love this book and have repeatedly asked to have it read at bedtime. There are similarities in the book to the movie, but the overall plot is quite different. The differences are quite enjoyable. It's a much simpler story, so it works better at bedtime and with a wider age range of children. The author and illustrator also created Rolie Polie Olie and the book has the same retro- cartoon style. The artwork is quite endearing. Would love to have some of the illustrations to hang on the wall.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime, January 3, 2010

By 

Geoffrey Thorne "What one man can do, another... (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Day with Wilbur Robinson (Hardcover)

As a writer I know how difficult it is to create a story for children that appeals to them on their own level without talking down to them. It is, like comedy, one of the most challenging nuts to crack.

As an illustrator, the same is true.

William Joyce is one of those very rare talents who not only manages to do both these things masterfully but also in such a way as to make it all look so easy. If he had done no other books beyond A DAY WITH WILBUR ROBINSON he would have easily cemented his position as one of the finest creators of fantasy for children along with such luminaries as Milne, Sendak, Barrie and Seuss.

But he didn't stop here. He has a library of stellar works, each as beautifully executed as this and each as personal and yet different from the rest.

You will enjoy this book if you are a human being.

Five stars.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Day With Wilbur Robinson, December 8, 2007

By 

Kelly T. (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Day with Wilbur Robinson (Hardcover)

We ordered this story book right after we bought and viewed "Meet the Robinsons," which we thoroughly enjoyed! I then had the opportunity to enjoy reading this story (on which the movie was based) to my 4-year old little boy. What a great story line ... what a great concept ... what an imagination! My kiddo got more excited with every page and the illustrations were incredible. I am now an official William Joyce fan. We look forward to enjoying many more of his creations in the future!