Wemberly Worried

Title: Wemberly Worried
Author: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, July 25, 2000
Reading Level: 1st and up
Pages: 30
Genre: Picture Book










Summary:

Wemberly worries about EVERYTHING. Whether is be about her little doll, Petal, or about her parents missing. Nothing her parents say can stop her from worrying. That's when school decides to start. Wemberly worries that she'll be the only one to bring a doll, or the only one with spots, or the only one wearing stripes. Her paretns, and her grandmother, keep telling her not to worry so much, but she does. When she gets to school she hides behind her parents while they talk to the teacher, Mrs. Peachum. When her parents leave, Mrs. Peachum introduces her to a young girl in the class, Jewel. Jewel has a doll, and Jewel is wearing stripes. At first they just look at eachother, but soon they introduce their dolls to eachother, and then they start to play. Before she knows it, it's time to go home. When Mrs. Peachum tells them to come back tomorrow, Wemberely tells her not to worry, she'll be back. Not only does this story have text to tell you the story, there are pictures to add to it. In every picture you see Wemberly's big worried eyes, and when she's with her parents you see them be worried that she's so worried. My favorite pictures are with the grandma. She tells Wemberly that she worries too much, but the picture is worth a bunch of laughs. Her grandma is wearing skates while holding a cane and sporting a t-shirt saying 'Go With the Flow.' However, Wemberly does keep worrying and then she goes to school. Once she makes friends with Jewel, her facial expressions change. Instead of big worried eyes, she smiles big and has fun with what she is doing. The pictrues are colorful, and even the text is sometimes included in the art work. It will be BIG or small, and on one page it even takes up more space than the picture!

My Reaction:

I loved this story! The pictures were fantastic; they helped you to see just how worried Wemberly was, and just how shy she was at school, and how much fun she had when she made a friend. I love how colorful the pictures are too! A child would love to sit and look at the pages.

Potential Problems:

I didn't recognize any potential problems in this book.

Recommendations:

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. Especially to parents who might have a worrisome child. This story can show a child that they don't have to worry about everything and that they should have fun.