Lulu is looking forward to romping in the snow, once her slow-poke Dad, and annoying baby brother Willy are ready, and she makes her impatience more than evident, at home and on the street. When the wintry weather proves too cold for Willy, however, Lulu finds herself shepherded into the local museum instead, where her sulky behavior finally causes her father to lose his patience. Depositing her on a bench, he tells her to catch up when she's "feeling better," and departs. "Horruble Daddy," she concludes, and begins (naturally) to pick her nose. Fortunately, two cherubs - from a nearby sculpture, and painting, respectively - intervene, before any more toddler grossness can ensue, and take her on a wild ride through the painted landscapes in the museum's collection...

Curiously innocent in its conceit - I have a hard time imagining any current parents leaving their child on a bench in a public place, with instructions to behave - this picture-book from the late 1980s is full of amusing child-appeal. Who hasn't felt, at that early stage of development, during which every denial of our wishes feels terribly unjust, that one's parents are just "horruble?" The magical adventure here, in which Lulu is guided through a number of works of art, satisfies both the childlike desire to dive right into pictures (I know I often wished I could dive into my books, at that age!), and the need (possibly for the first time) to have separate experiences from one's family. I did wonder what kind of museum this was - natural history or art? - given the presence of both dinosaurs and fine paintings, but I suppose that is all part of the fun. ( )