FLO & WENDELL

An artistic departure into mixed media will spark the interest of Wegman fans in this new offering featuring his famed Weimaraners.

Flo and Wendell are siblings who have different interests but like to play together “…sometimes.” This basic premise carries the loosely constructed text, with pictures far overshadowing the achievement of the writing. In a striking departure from previous titles, Wegman paints atop his photographs to dress up his characters and render the scenery. The visual impact is playful and whimsical, with the painterly, colorful gouache contrasting comically with the serious, almost formal faces of the photographed dogs. Ultimately, the text serves to set up various scenarios for pictures, which include depictions of Flo and Wendell’s parents (their father is a painter, their mother a knitter who even knit a sweater for the family car) and scenes of the pups playing hide-and-seek, among other activities. The result is a book that lacks a story and reads more like a catalog of amusing, whimsical pictures, culminating with a scene of Flo reading Moby-Dick to Wendell before he falls asleep, using a stack of books as a pillow.

A sure hit for Wegman fans, but a miss for those who want a story.