Being Wendy

Fran, we hardly recognize ye! This heavy-handed self-esteem fable, Drescher’s first children’s book, shows none of her signature (and endearing) loudmouth, self-aware humor. It’s the story of Wendy Starbright, who lives in Boxville, a town where everyone has to “choose a box and stay in it”—meaning that all the inhabitants (including the animals) wear actual brown boxes labeled according to what they do. Just to make matters confusing, Boxville shouldn’t be confused with Conformityville: everyone gets to choose his or her box, and childhood ambitions are actually encouraged (“Hope’s box said DOCTOR because she knew she wanted to cure sick people. Joe’s box said SOLDIER because he wanted to protect people”). Still, Wendy is convinced that her dreams and goals are such that “ONE box will NEVER be enough for me.” She scandalizes the town with her multidisciplinary independence, but in the end, she persuades her family to start life anew in—Freedomland. Debut illustrator Blay contributes perky, retro-styled pictures that show lots of promise, but she can’t mitigate the book’s preachy obviousness. Ages 3–5. (Nov.)