AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
Wendell is staying with Sophie for the weekend, and things are not going well. He only wants to play games where he makes all the rules, he wakes Sophie up, tries to scare her, and ruins her crayons, just to list a few examples of his annoying behavior. Not surprisingly, Sophie is counting the minutes before Wendell's mother returns to pick him up. On the last day of the visit, however, Sophie asserts herself, declaring that she will make the rules of their next game of make-believe. Finally experiencing a taste of his own medicine and likely touched by Sophie's tenderness to him when she sees that he is hurt, Wendell's attitude changes and the two become friends. Sweet painted illustrations reveal the characters' emotional states. This is a very funny look at a topic which is important for 3 and 4 year-olds, namely how to compromise and share in friendships. The repetitive pattern of the plot heightens its accessibility to young children. A highly recommended gem of a book.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
At one point in the story, Wendell leaves Sophie's crayons on the porch and they melt. In a special visit to the library kitchen, children can watch librarians melt old crayons in a microwave and pour the result into candy molds of various shapes. Children can help decide which colors to melt together.
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