Book excerpt: Overview: Tim arrives home after a long holiday only to find his parents have vanished. The courageous Tim is determined to search the whole wide world, if necessary, to find them. Many people offer to help, but sometimes their help is the last thing he needs! Tim's droll adventures are a never-ending source of delight, both fantastic yet utterly real, and are beautifully evoked in Edward Ardizzone's lyrical watercolor illustrations.