W. K. Miller

I believe in my soup., July 7 2004

Jean lives with his lovely wife, a quiet life of boredom and resignation, in a miserably drearly home. Jean's wife is a study in satisfaction. The home is crumbling around them, yet she is not motivated to seek change. Jean wants more. He is continuously unsatisfied; he longs for a more exciting and fulfilling life. After enduring a visit from a ghost aunt, Jean disappears. Literally vanishing into thin air, Jean moves into another plane of existence.

In scene two, Jean appears on a platform suspended in air. He is trying to find his wife. Two employees guarding the entrance of a museum (?!) talk with him. It seems Jean has already seen beautiful views and breathtaking vistas… Read more

Twin Polars; bring the muffins, Jun 30 2004

It's got polar bears posing as penguins. It's got polar bears posing as girl scouts. The primary law enforcement officer is a bunny. The setting is a town called Yellowtooth.

Welcome to the twisted and hilarious world of Daniel Pinkwater. Irving and Muktuk are polar bears who want to steal muffins. In jerky and often funny prose, Pinkwater describes their repeated near-exploits. Always foiled by the bunny (who even utilizes a helicopter and a net to capture the villains), Irving and Muktuk never flag in their optimism or their enthusiasm for thievery. In the end, the ursine ladrónes are shipped off to Bayonne, New Jersey (The Muffin Capitol of the World, in case you failed to… Read more

Curious George breaks out a spatula, Jun 30 2004

Curious George goes to a pancake breakfast (actually, it's more like a county fair). Then, he makes pancakes while the cook is away. He makes them quicker and better than the cook. Then the cook chases him away. As usual, George gets in a little bit of trouble. Then all is well, and everyone praises George.

This book has part of the charm of CURIOUS GEORGE GOES TO AN ICE CREAM SHOP, with almost exactly the same plot. There's nothing surprising here-- kids and adults will see Curious George in another formulaic plot. This book was adapted from the Curious George film series, and it is based on characters created by H.A. Rey. It is NOT one of the George books written by H.A… Read more