Customer Reviews

Weslandia

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the only children's book that I have found worth buying (as opposed to the library). It has a multitude of themes, such as weather, math, and language. Not only that, but this book was actually fun and interesting. As a teacher, I know that it apeals to a large audience- including adults! buy the book, you won't regret it

A profoundly thought provoking look at how people fit into the world, or make worlds to fit into. A story of a unique soul who chose not to accept rejection, but use his individuality to create beauty. Told simply, but with deep, far reaching effects for any reader.

Wonderful and inspiring. I suspect this book is appropriate for many more people than the simple picture book format would suggest--I found Wesley's struggle to reflect my own although I am older than the intended audience. Wesley manages to change the society he lives in very much and for the better, a fantasy many of us have. This book narrowly escapes becoming a handbook for revolution by containing a few small fictional elements, though, mostly that bizarre plant.

Every former geek, weirdo and outcast needs to read it, as it is a testimony to origionality and honesty. Perfect. I am glad I found it, and I hope many others do. Easily one of my favorite books, and one I'll cherish and give to as many people as I can. Happy reading.

Great family fantasy adventure story of an outcast boy and how he made friends. I loved it. It has excellent color illustrations and I highly recommend this one to the 2nd through the 5th grades, including the teachers and parents.

I fell in love with Paul Fleischman's writing when I read Whirligig on recommendation of my 14 yr. old daughter. I just finished Seedfolks for a Reading & Lit. for Middle Grades Ed. course. It's a powerful little book. When I read Weslandia I LOVED it! What a great example Wesley sets for other children that are teased. I plan to teach middle grades and I will use this book. The illustrations are GREAT! So far Paul Fleischman is 3 for 3 with me. I hope to teach both Whirligig and Seedfolks when I teach reading.

Let's say that you'd like to teach your kids about civilizations and how they come about. You're tempted to just go out and purchase that fabulous Sid Meier video game, "Civilization", but you suspect that a) You'd just be doing it for yourself and b) That's not the best way to teach five-year-olds. Voila! Author Paul Fleischman (or shall I say, NEWBERY award winning author Paul Fleischman) and artist Kevin Hawkes (sorry Kevin... no Newberys for you) have joined together to bring us a history of the founding of Weslandia in its book of the same name. The only picture book I've ever seen where kids that create their own fantasy worlds pale in the face of kids that put those worlds into practice.

Wesley isn't like other boys, a fact that drives his parents mad. He's an inventor who regularly refuses to join the crowd and fit in. With school over for the summer, Wesley sets about coming up with a project for the warm months. Thanks to his sarcastic father's throwaway remark about burgeoning civilizations, "I'm sure you'll use that knowledge often", the boy constructs a brilliant scheme. With the help of traveling seeds, Wesley will create and maintain his own unique civlization. New plants begin to grow and thrive in our hero's backyard (plants that would have been plucked as weeds if the nosy neighbor had his way). In time, the plants have flowered and produced fruit. With these as his base, Wesley refines his new food source. He tends his crops and, with their soft inner fibers, weaves new clothes for himself. He creates a sundial that uses the number of petals on the plant's flowers and creates games made from the many parts of the plants. You get the idea. By the end of the summer, Wesley has learned that not only can a person make themselves happy through invention, they can also win themselves some followers.

The book's deeply inventive premise gives the book that rare honor of being fascinating to both children and adults. Kids will love the premise of a child as founder of a new lifestyle. Parents will be impressed by the clever ways in which author Fleischman has displayed how civilizations throughout the world began. Flischman's world is utterly believable. After putting down the book, you have a hard time not coming to the conclusion that Weslandia could easily exist with relatively few changes. As is often the case with brilliant picture books, however, "Weslandia" would only be half as good as it is without the stylings of artist Kevin Hawkes. Hawkes has carefully included Wesley's eighty letter alphabet on the endpapers of this book. He's created Wesley's original game (a kind of Quidditch on stilts). He's even endowed his somewhat Harry Potterish hero with beautiful birds, colors, and flowers. The pictures here are sometimes realistic, sometimes silly, but always impressive. Tiny delightful details spot this book, and by its end kids will have a hard time leaving beloved Weslandia. They may even go so far as to create their own version of it.

If you've read any of Paul Fleischman's other books (such as "Seek" or "Joyful Noise: Poems For Two Voices") then you already know about his originality as a writer. For those of you who haven't encountered his works before, "Weslandia" will come to you as a delightful surprise. For a good storytime pairing, consider reading it with Jerdine Nolan's, "Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm". It's one of those picture book treasures you'll be amazed and delighted to discover.

my class is doing a social studies topic on this book, and we all love it! we all had to find things wesley makes from his crop, i found 30 things he made! wesley even made himself some shoes! i recomend this book to anyone who wants to read a book or enjoys plants. this book is great for anyone at any age!

My five year olds love this book. They really get it; the idea that one can become self-sufficient with nature. I highly recommend this book for ages five and up.

We like Weslandia because Paul Fleischman has put a lot of thought into Wesleys creations.It is a good story to be read aloud. Weslandia is a book for all ages.It has awesome pictures and is a great book altogether.

Weslandia by Hawks and Fleischman is a book I wish I had had growing up! How many of us remember creating our own worlds through the reading of books, or the construction of forts, treehouses, etc? Perhaps none of us went as far as becoming a self-sufficient civilization, but that world was OURS! In our "world", we were in charge, and ANYthing was possible....Today, so many kids forget about the outside world, wanting instead to play on the computer or watch TV inside all day. Perhaps Weslandia will inspire them to go adventuring out of doors to create their own private "kingdom". As for me, a "grownup", I was delighted to be reminded of my earlier, "carefree" days--I think I'll go outside now, turn over some earth, and wait for nature to plant her seed... :)!