Review by Booklist Review
A white girl with sensory-processing challenges, Winnie is new to the classroom, and the other kids immediately notice she is different. The usual activities such as circle, reading, and lunchtime prove too much for her, so the teacher suggests that everyone do things the way Winnie does, and with this, Fitzgerald explicitly advocates for a paradigm shift. Winnie's ways are regularly compared to animal behaviors, and while some may find this objectionable, the sentiment is clearly tender. When Winnie is "monkeying around," the teacher takes the children outside to play on the monkey bars with her. When she's "antsy," everyone bundles into cocoons made of blankets. Colorful illustrations include literal representations of the expressions, adding to the linguistic humor. By the end of the week, this empathetic teacher has created a space for all her students to be accepted. Back matter explains the social and diagnostic responses for children like Winnie and provides strategies for supportive intervention. Wild for Winnie can serve as a read-aloud or a resource for caregivers---or just a sweet book about acceptance.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--Winnie, a white girl with freckles, is the new kid in class, surprising all her classmates with her wild behavior. She never stops moving, but instead of reprimanding her, the teacher, who is Black, suggests they should all try to see the world through Winnie's eyes. She knows that Winnie suffers from Sensory Processing Disorder that can cause overstimulation. When she monkeys around, the students, who have a range of skin colors, hair styles, and abilities, go out on the jungle gym; when Winnie acts squirrelly, the kids "go nuts" on an obstacle course, etc. Some of these will connect for readers. However, the story doesn't always show a response to her SPD behaviors that makes sense: when Winnie feels antsy, the teacher has them all get into (blanket) cocoons and turn into butterflies. Is this helping Winnie, or her classmates, or both? It is never clear. What is very helpful is the back matter that offers caregivers ideas for helping these children cope. The illustrations serve the text well and are as energetic and alive as Winnie and her crew. VERDICT This is a good story about looking beyond initial behaviors and trying to walk in the shoes of someone who is different. Even though specific connections are not drawn, the idea of trying to understand what others are experiencing sings loud and true.--Joan Kindig
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A new student's unusual behavior bewilders her classmates. Winnie, a White redheaded girl, is "no ordinary kid," opines the narrator, an unnamed and unidentified child in Winnie's class. She howls "like a hyena" at circle time, kicks "like a kangaroo" at storytime, and chomps "like a piranha" on another student's arm at lunch. Undaunted, her Black-presenting teacher suggests that "maybe Winnie sees and hears and feels the world differently than most of us" and proposes that everyone give Winnie's "world" a whirl. In Løvlie's cheery, colorful, pastel-hued double-page spreads, racially, physically, and ability diverse classmates joyfully join Winnie in activities that regulate her animal-themed antics. If she's "monkeying around" on the furniture, everyone joins her on the jungle gym at recess; when she's acting "pretty squirrelly," the other students go "nuts" with her on an indoor toy obstacle course; and so on. Unfortunately, more complex idioms such as "bull in a china shop" may fly over young readers' heads without further explanation. Gradually, the narrator realizes that Winnie is ordinary after all: "Sometimes we all feel the world differently." Fitzgerald's message is well intentioned, but in this plotless story, Winnie feels more like an object lesson than a person, which may alienate readers who experience the world in similar ways. Although Winnie's behavior is left unexplained, a closing author's note to caregivers alludes to sensory processing disorder and presents additional activities targeting balance, body awareness, and more.(This book was reviewed digitally.) Caregivers of "antsy" kids will glean some helpful tips, but young readers won't go wild for this one. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
