The worries of a mouse named Wemberly

Henkes, K. (2000). Wemberly worried. New York, NY: Scholastic.

       Wemberly Worried is a picture book about a mouse named Wemberly who worries all the time.  She worries about big things and little things, but mostly she worries about going to school.  Wemberly worries that no one else will look like her, dress like her, or have a doll like her.  Once she gets to school, Wemberly meets Jewel.  Jewel and Wemberly have a lot of things in common, so they become friends and Wemberly worries a little bit less.

       While I enjoyed this picture book, I don’t think this story would keep my fifth grade students engaged.  I would recommend this story to teachers who have primary students.  This would be a good story to use at the beginning of the school year.  Students can discuss things that worry them about starting school.  They can also share things that make them unique and see if other students share any similarities to them.

       My favorite part of this book was the illustrations.  According to the publishing history, they were done with watercolor paints and black pen.  They are bright, vibrant colors, with lots of pinks, blues, and purples.  They are done in cartoon art style.  The illustrations vary from page to page.  Some are full-page pictures, some are small cutouts on the page, and some are stand-alone images of mice.  There are also small pieces of dialogue written on some of the pictures.  These add to the story and are interesting to read.

       BIG QUESTIONS: What is something that you worry about as much as Wemberly worries about school?  Meeting a friend helped Wemberly worry less – what have your friends helped you do?