WHERE'S JULIUS?

With his unique brand of offbeat, understated humor and distinctive art style, Burningham again explores the child's world of imaginative play. After young Julius Troutbeck sets up a little home constructed out of three chairs, the old curtains and a broom in the living room, he doesn't come to lunch—he's too busy riding a camel across the desert. As the adventures become more exotic, his straight-faced parents carry bacon and eggs to the Pyramids and spaghetti to Peru. The turnaround humor of parents braving dangers to deliver meals will trigger envy from any child who would rather have food brought to the play area than come to the table. And the descriptions of food such as sardines on toast should produce groans and giggles from the story-hour crowd. The illustrations, rendered in pencil, crayon and watercolor, cleverly separate the real from the imaginary. Wordless, full-color spreads reveal Julius' escapades, while restrained use of color and line and a generous amount of white space depict his parents' kitchen preparations. Although this does not have the creative impact of Burningham's Come Away from the Water, Shirley, it still has much merit.