Willy’s World of Wonders

K-Gr 2–Step into Willy’s World of Wonders. Through a combination of worldly wisdom and Monty Python–esque illustrations, Puchner shares his views, devoting a spread to each miraculous place, topic, or concept. These subjects meander from the world of the circus to that of language to comforting cats just as whimsically as one’s imagination does. The thread that ties them together is the desire to inspire, as is made clear in the foreword and the spread on how to doodle. In all the passages, the author speaks directly to readers. Sometimes his writing wistfully describes the scene and his personal experiences, in some he asks questions, and in others he might bring up factual information. With a fair amount of text, densely detailed and textured illustrations, and little narrative, this book is best shared one on one in more intimate settings. It requires quiet reflection and plenty of space and time for readers to discuss what they see in their own imaginations. As this work is akin to a collection, it can be broken into multiple sittings for younger ones.