Wemberly Worried

Wemberly is a worrier, no question about it. And the more she worries, the more worries she finds. She worries about everything at home, and now, at school. Laura Hamilton's Wemberly is perfect--her insecure, nervous, tremulous, little girl voice is exactly right, building in pace and tempo as her worries get bigger and bigger. She gives individual voices to the adults, especially grandmother's voice, but the voices of Wemberly and her friend, Jewel, are confusing. All the other ingredients: the page-turning sound, the wonderful sound effects--water running, bees buzzing, hinges squeaking--and the peppy, cheerful music combine to make this an excellent choice for 5- to 7-year-olds, who can relate to many of Wemberly's concerns. A charming story read at a slow, easy pace, with time to peruse the pictures and enjoy. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

August 28, 2000
Henkes (Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse) introduces another wonderfully appealing child-mouse with a stubborn habit: worrying. Wemberly, a shy white mouse with gray spots, always feels nervous whether at home or away. "At the playground, Wemberly worried about/ the chains on the swings,/ and the bolts on the slide,/ and the bars on the jungle gym." She tells her father, "Too rusty. Too loose. Too high," while sitting on a park bench watching the other mice play. Her security blanket, a rabbit doll named Petal (whose spot over the left eye matches her own), rarely leaves her grip. Henkes adroitly juggles the main narrative, hand-lettered asides and watercolor-and-ink imagery of the young pessimist and her supportive parents; each element contributes a different strength. For instance, as he lists Wemberly's worries, "Big things" heads the list, paired with a vignette of the heroine checking on her parents in the middle of the night with a flashlight, "I wanted to make sure you were still here." He later shows how Wemberly's anxieties peak at the start of nursery school with huge text that dwarfs tiny illustrations. At this overwhelming moment, Wemberly meets another girl mouse, Jewel, who turns out to be a kindred spirit (she even carries her own worn doll). Henkes offers no pat solutions, handling the material with uncanny empathy and gentleness; while playing with Jewel, "Wemberly worried. But no more than usual. And sometimes even less." This winning heroine speaks to the worrywart in everyone. Ages 4-up.