A Weekend with Wendell

Have you ever dreaded a particular guest in your home? Parents and children alike can resonate with Sophie in A Weekend with Wendell.

Kevin Henkes succeeds in portraying Wendell as the perfect brat, and the worst possible house guest. The illustrations alone are enough to evoke memories of a particular egocentric child, but the text takes it even farther, showing just how horrible a little child can be.

Of all of Henkes' picture books that I've read (with the exception of his board books, which I don't think measure up) I was least satisfied with this ending. In my opinion, one of the Henkes' hallmarks is a notable change in the character of the protagonist. However, in this case, I'm not sure that the change is one I admire. Wendell is tamed (I won't ruin it by telling you how.), but I'm not sure that I like the way he did it.

Has anyone else read it to give another perspective?

[Rebecca said that the redemption was in Sophie learning to answer Wendell on his own terms, and I think that there is something to that.]