Day 101: Wemberly Worried

It's Labor Day weekend, which sadly marks the end of summer as we know it.  School has already started up again around here, and my little guy will be off to preschool in less than two weeks.  I can't believe it!  He seems to be excited about his new school, but I have a feeling we'll definitely experience a few tears on those first few days.  We've been talking about how fun it will be to play and make new friends, and have been reading some good books about starting school to get ready, as well.  I've already featured one of our favorites, The Kissing Hand, back on Day 48, but we found another great story at our last visit to the library by the always fabulous Kevin Henkes.  Wemberly Worried is an adorable tale that is one of my son's favorite books to read at the moment.  Wemberly, the sweet little lovable mouse, is a worrier.  She worries, and worries and worries, about big things, little things, and everything in between:  the crack in the wall, the noise of the radiators, her doll Petal, even that there wouldn't be enough cake for her friends at her birthday party.  Her mother, father, and flower-child, rollerblade-wearing grandmother try to help ease her worries, but Wemberly manages to find things to be nervous about anyway.  As Wemberly gets ready to start at her new nursery school, she is faced with her biggest worry of all!  I'll admit that I worried this book might make my son nervous about things he otherwise wouldn't have thought of, but fortunately he reacted the way I hoped he would and found Wemberly's worries to be silly.  "What if no one else has spots?  What if no one else wears stripes?  What if no one else brings a doll?  What if the teacher is mean?  What if the room smells bad?  What if they make fun of my name?  What if I can't find the bathroom?" and my son's favorite of all, "What if I hate the snack?"  Fortunately for Wemberly, her understanding teacher Mrs. Peachum introduces her to a new friend, and by day's end, Wemberly realizes that perhaps there isn't as much to worry about as she thought.  Henkes' delightful mouse characters are charming (look for Lilly of Purple Plastic Purse fame to make an appearance) and I think the story does a great job of addressing children's fears and feelings about starting school in a way that is both realistic and reassuring.   Henkes' illustrations are wonderfully expressive, as usual, and we love looking for fun, silly details on each page.  We highly recommend this book, especially if you have a worried Wemberly of your own.  Wishing you all a smooth transition back to school and a year full of new and wonderful things!