Product Description

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #288300 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From 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.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- When little Wilma awakens one morning, she discovers that she has turned green and developed a fondness for eating flies. Her horrified parents don't know how to deal with her, so she hops to school. There she demonstrates her dodgeball skills, but gets in trouble after flicking her tongue on the teacher's nose and chasing flies through the lunchroom. Of course the adventure turns out to be a dream--but the dreamer, as it turns out, is a frog, not a girl. Arnold's breezy humor shines through in the illustrations, especially in his goggle-eyed people who must be the stuff of amphibian nightmares. The rhymed narration is adequate, but the amusing tale's success derives from the unexpected twist and the slapstick comedy embodied in the pictures. --Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Card catalog description
Waking up with a frog-like appearance, Wilma proves disruptive at school as she searches for some tasty flies.

Customer Reviews

I loved this story
Green Wilma is an adoring, rhyming tale of a girl who wakes up one morning and discovers she is green. This story is full of bright colors that fill the pages of this book and show the personality of the characters by illustrating the eyes bulging out of their heads. This book expresses the talent of children's imagination. Your children will love the characters and the silly illustrations that give hints about Wilma's metamorphosis. The ending was a surprise because something happened that I would have never expected. Green Wilma is a sweet childish book that your children will adore.

Reviewed by Erin

Absolutely outstanding
After reviewing the book called Green Wilma, I discovered it was not only a satisfying book but one which made my eyes water and lurch out from their sockets. This book is about a young girl, Wilma who wakes up one morning with an appetite for flies and soon discovers she is a green amphibian. Her parents, feet trembling on the floor, appear scared half to death by Wilma's slimy, green, new texture. Rebelling against her parent's orders, Wilma goes to school and ruins other kid's appetites by her repulsive act of devouring filthy, many-eyed flies. As I easily turned each page filled with detailed illustrations, the hilarious book approached the end. This book, even with me being a picky reviewer, I rate at 4.5 stars. Why, because my only unanswered question is, how does Wilma turn into a frog anyway? If the author would explain this phenomenon, I would gain more understanding of the book's main character, Wilma. The book Green Wilma, funny and entertaining, in my opinion is a book recommended to children and adults as well.

Reviewed by Josh

I Sort of Liked This Book
The writing in Green Wilma was like a baby's board book. There were only three or four words on a page. The language, simple, unappealing, and childish, did not earn my liking. The book, absolutely no phrases contained in it, made me get really mixed up while reading it. It was hard to understand and hard to know what's happening with no phrases.



The pictures, simple images of people with bulging eyes, did not go with the story. The story was carefully written to rhyme, while the pictures were sloppily done. The people in the pictures have huge eyes, tiny bodies, tiny legs and arms. Because of these exaggerated features, I did not enjoy looking at them.



Green Wilma was very confusing in the ending. Something happens where the girl (Wilma) is chasing a fly into a pond. She jumps after it, catches it, and falls into the pond. Then the text says all frogs know better than to sit on a log while dreaming and there's a picture with a frog on a log. I think it is confusing because I wasn't sure if there's just a frog dreaming on a log or if there's really a girl named Wilma. Overall, I give this book three stars out of five stars. by Alina