WISTERIA JANE

A little girl who takes telling the truth too far learns to temper her tongue and make up with a friend.

Wisteria Jane’s curly blond hair is a wild tangle, which reflects her thoughts perfectly. Her mom always tells her, “I named you after the most beautiful flower I’d ever seen, because you were the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen.” Wisty’s baby pictures reflect that, so she gets to thinking what her friend Ella’s baby pictures might look like. It’s a quick jump from the wrinkled newborn she sees to telling Ella that her full name must be Elephant, as she was a “wrinkly mess.” Well, that doesn’t go over too well, and Wisty’s mom has a chat with her about hurting her friends’ feelings and knowing when it’s better to keep her mouth shut than to tell the brutal truth. Wisty gets practice when she brings her apology picture—a rainbow unicorn—to Ella. Her face gets red, her mouth turns down, her eyes bug, her fists clench, but taking a deep breath and blowing it out slowly help her regain her cool and not say what she thinks. Hoyt’s loose, cartoonlike illustrations are bright and cheery, and the facial expressions and body language are highlights.

A valuable lesson about tact for any age.