A Weekend with Wendell

Ah, Wendelness. Quiet little Sophie mouse is one unhappy camper when boisterous, bossy Wendell visits for the weekend. Loud, and not particularly prone to sharing or fairness, Wendell's idea of fun is to give Sophie a new hairdo with shaving cream; or play the baker in "let's pretend," while Sophie is the sweet roll; or steal the whipped cream topping off Sophie's ice cream sundae. Eventually, Wendell gets a taste of his own medicine, when Sophie--cranking up the garden hose--decides to play firefighter, while giving Wendell the part of the burning building. The upshot is that Wendell backs off the pushiness, Sophie lightens up a bit and when Wendell departs shortly thereafter, Sophie decides there's something about Wendell, after all. Nicely read by Mary Beth Hurt, this full-motion animated adaptation of Kevin Henkes' 1986 picture book is not in the same league with the films of Henkes' Owen (VL-5/96) and Chrysanthemum (VL-11/98), but it's still fun and subtly instructive. Recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)