Weslandia

by Paul Fleishman, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

What are YOU planning for your Summer vacation? Young Wesley, a nonconformist, inventor, decides to form his own civilization. He prepares a plot of soil and just waits to see what grows. Often mocked and bullied in the real world, clever Wes decides to make his own rather than submit to peer pressure and be like everyone else. What does grow in his rich soil is a tall plant not previously known to man with gorgeous, large red flowers with 8 petals. This plant becomes “Weslandia’s” staple crop. Wes prepares its tubers for food, weaves its stalks for clothes, and even crushes its seeds for sunblock and mosquito repellent which he then sells to his earlier tormentors. He creates a numeric system based on the number 8, and an alphabet, paper and ink and even a fabulous game, kind of like lacrosse on stilts, or quidditch on the ground. Absolutely everything in this backyard world comes from Wesley’s lovely plant and charming creativity.

Wesley is having such a grand time with his alternate world summer project that his self-contained pleasure, like the music from his homemade flute, beguiles, all the kids who peek over the fence. They want to join in the games, the productive work, the fun. What they see is someone utterly and confidently being himself. And, of course, everybody wants to be friends with a kid like that.

Reviewed by Vivian