WHATEVER WANDA WANTED

Wanda’s parents love her so much that they give her everything she wants, but their generosity has some bad, if predictable, side effects. Wanda seems to have it all—the biggest and best toys, the prettiest clothes, and the tastiest treats—but if she spies something that she doesn’t have, all it takes is a stomp of her foot, and she gets that too. Her tactics may have given her lots of things, but the one thing that she is lacking is a friend. One day, Wanda spies a magnificent kite in a new store in town, but the storeowner refuses to sell it to her. Wanda being Wanda, she knows that she can get that kite if she works hard enough—and proceeds to throw a tantrum. But she may have gotten more than she bargained for. As she grabs hold of the kite, it flies her up and away, dropping her on a deserted island. There she must learn to fend for herself and along the way learns that what she misses most is her parents. Rescued from the island, she begins to preach in true Thoreauvian style, “There’s more to life than things!” Wild, brightly colored illustrations are stuffed with detail, mimicking Wanda’s overstuffed life. Pattern after pattern fills the pages, creating a sense of chaos and clutter. Characters all have a bright-eyed look, save for Wanda, whose eyes look almost demonic until she calms down and learns her lesson. Simply fun from a great new artist. (Picture book. 4-7)