What do you think?
Rate this book
Where's Julius?
Mr. and Mrs. Troutbeck always enjoy three nice big meals a day, but their son Julius is always too busy to eat. Where’s Julius? Well, he could be anywhere—riding Egyptian camels, climbing the Changa Benang Mountains, cooling hippos in the Lombo Bombo River, digging a hole through to the other side of the world, or doing any number of important and daring activities that make it just too difficult to sit down at the table.
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
15 people want to read
About the author
John Burningham
163 books106 followershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bur...
Married to Helen Oxenbury They have one son and two daughters.
John Burningham was born in 1936 in Farnham, Surrey, and attended the alternative school, Summerhill. In 1954 he spent two years travelling through Italy, Yugoslavia and Israel, working at a variety of jobs.
From 1956-1959, he studied at the Central School of Art, after which he designed posters for London Transport and the British Transport Commission. He also spent a year on an animated puppet film in the Middle East. He then became a writer and illustrator of children's books, his first book, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers (1963) winning the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1963, an achievement he repeated with Mr Gumpy's Outing (1970).
Since then, he has written and illustrated many children's books. He is also a freelance designer of murals, exhibitions models, magazine illustrations and advertisements.
Married to Helen Oxenbury They have one son and two daughters.
John Burningham was born in 1936 in Farnham, Surrey, and attended the alternative school, Summerhill. In 1954 he spent two years travelling through Italy, Yugoslavia and Israel, working at a variety of jobs.
From 1956-1959, he studied at the Central School of Art, after which he designed posters for London Transport and the British Transport Commission. He also spent a year on an animated puppet film in the Middle East. He then became a writer and illustrator of children's books, his first book, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers (1963) winning the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1963, an achievement he repeated with Mr Gumpy's Outing (1970).
Since then, he has written and illustrated many children's books. He is also a freelance designer of murals, exhibitions models, magazine illustrations and advertisements.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 26, 2022
I love the way John Burningham mixes the mundane everyday with fantastical adventures all in a humorous dead pan way. Here we meet a family that's grey everyday life is punctuated by mealtimes. The food is typically of another era, but breakfast dinner and tea, Julius is off on an adventure, whether he is building a camp out of cushions and sheets or rafting down the Limpopo with a hippopotamus co-pilot he often can't quite make it to meal times. A parent takes him his food on a tray, I expect they probably quite like this arrangement, the parents in John Burningham books always look old before their time, are grumpy and probably work in a very boring job.
I love the way the parents become melded into Julius's version of the world and often appear differently as they place his tray down in the jungle. Typically lovely imagination and illustrations.
Read on open libray.
I love the way the parents become melded into Julius's version of the world and often appear differently as they place his tray down in the jungle. Typically lovely imagination and illustrations.
Read on open libray.
December 16, 2017
Julius is not a name that appears in the title of many picture books (Shakespeare for children notwithstanding.) Amazingly, the two children's books that do feature this fabulous name (yes, obvious bias) and fabulous narratives, each with a character named Julius, are magnificent.
My Julius LOVES reading this book. We read it several times a week together and he beams.
(The other is Julius, Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes.)
I love John Burningham. He captures childhood so beautifully and subjects of interest to children so magically, without magic... forthright in captivating language and illustration.
My Julius LOVES reading this book. We read it several times a week together and he beams.
(The other is Julius, Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes.)
I love John Burningham. He captures childhood so beautifully and subjects of interest to children so magically, without magic... forthright in captivating language and illustration.
December 1, 2017
A great picture book about imagination
September 22, 2020
Where’s Julius is written chronologically and focuses on Julius, his mum and his dad and their family meals. The story observes all three as they ensure Julius gets his meals regardless of whether he’s digging to the other side of the world or is white water rafting.
It’s like a lot of picture books in that each page has a large illustration and some text...although it seems to have more text on each page than some picture books I’ve seen in the past. It was very original in that Julius has unusual adventures in unusual places so I think children would find it unusual and interesting.
I really liked the unusual settings and didn’t really know what to expect on each page. However, some of the words are quite long and children would need help to read/understand them and, overall, the book could have been a couple of pages shorter (although these are minor points really).
It’s left open as to whether Julius is actually having these adventures or whether they are in his imagination. Readers can make up their own minds on that and discuss why that’s the case.
It reminded me very much of having to chase my own children to come and have their meal as they’re always too busy playing and distracted doing other things. I think the main themes, were imagination, letting children continue with their play, the importance of family meals and, also of the importance of making time to eat your meals to give you fuel to have your adventures.
It’s like a lot of picture books in that each page has a large illustration and some text...although it seems to have more text on each page than some picture books I’ve seen in the past. It was very original in that Julius has unusual adventures in unusual places so I think children would find it unusual and interesting.
I really liked the unusual settings and didn’t really know what to expect on each page. However, some of the words are quite long and children would need help to read/understand them and, overall, the book could have been a couple of pages shorter (although these are minor points really).
It’s left open as to whether Julius is actually having these adventures or whether they are in his imagination. Readers can make up their own minds on that and discuss why that’s the case.
It reminded me very much of having to chase my own children to come and have their meal as they’re always too busy playing and distracted doing other things. I think the main themes, were imagination, letting children continue with their play, the importance of family meals and, also of the importance of making time to eat your meals to give you fuel to have your adventures.
January 21, 2025
Put this 1986 copyrighted title into lots of parents hands to teach the fun of make believe and to enhance their imaginations. There is even an illustration that shows Julius making a tent with a blanket and two chairs! Every time a meal is ready to be served, Julius is too busy off on his imaginary adventures. I loved the illustration featuring the camel and the one featuring the hippopotamuses.
Please encourage children’s imagination and make believe play.
Please encourage children’s imagination and make believe play.
January 25, 2016
A picture book that any child can relate to! Follows a child's creative imagination who is too busy to have meals throughout the day because his imagination has taken him to different parts of the world.
I like the use of repetition throughout the book, young children can easily join in with this and even play the game - 'what's in my shopping basket' helping children remember the story by saying 'On Monday Julius couldn't have sardines on toast, a roll and butter, tomatoes and nothing for pudding at lunch because he has made a little home in the other room with three chairs, the old curtains and the broom' etc etc.
Cross Curricular Links:
- Geography, Research on the places mentioned in the book.
- History, Research on the history of the places in the book e.g Looking at Egyptians and pyramids.
- English, Descriptive writing and character profile.
I like the use of repetition throughout the book, young children can easily join in with this and even play the game - 'what's in my shopping basket' helping children remember the story by saying 'On Monday Julius couldn't have sardines on toast, a roll and butter, tomatoes and nothing for pudding at lunch because he has made a little home in the other room with three chairs, the old curtains and the broom' etc etc.
Cross Curricular Links:
- Geography, Research on the places mentioned in the book.
- History, Research on the history of the places in the book e.g Looking at Egyptians and pyramids.
- English, Descriptive writing and character profile.
July 26, 2010
In which British author/illustrator John Burningham serves up exotic excursions for Julius as his parents deliver his breakfasts, lunches, and dinners so as not to interrupt his imaginary play. Colorful double-page spreads draw the children into Julius’s imagination. Children enjoy pointing out the animals eating Julius’s meals. Finally Julius tires of adventure and joins his parents for dinner.
January 6, 2020
Possibly more for the parents reading it than the children they are reading it to. The story is full of a boys dreams and adventures which become more absurd as the story progresses. The parents just calmly go along with it all, taking meals to him in different corners of the world.
April 20, 2010
The only good thing about this book is that it provided an opportunity for my to talk with my children about obedience since Julius didn't obey his parents in this book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews