Wendy is an Oregon native and a proud alumnus of the University of Oregon. Go Ducks! Wendy’s stories are inspired by the vibrant life of her family’s working orchard in Sonoma County, California. Wendy weaves characters that tell stories of personal struggles, friendships, and adventures. She treasures her time with her husband, two adult children, and a brood of fur kids.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
It’s okay to be fussy. In Wendy Hilberman’s The Fussy Finch, Francine is a fussy finch who loves to bathe, eat choice treats from the feeder, enjoy feather-soft bedding in her nest, sing the brightest, and fly to put on a show. Her mother tries to teach Francine that being the best at everything isn’t really necessary. But Francine knows it’s best for her. Being fussy about little things defines who Francine is and she’s not ashamed. She realizes, as we all should, that we are unique individuals and we need to accept each other for our unique qualities, like being fussy.
Wendy Hilberman’s picture book, The Fussy Finch, is sweet and endearing. The language is simple to help young readers follow along and improve their reading skills. The author also includes many adjectives to describe each fussy notion, like scratchy or soft and cozy, when describing her nest preferences, or flashy words to describe her flying prowess, like “dips, twists, and dives.” The plot follows Francine as she goes through her many rituals and then the author ties things up at the end, summarizing all her fussy qualities. The illustrations are bright, bold, colorful, and full of life and energy. Overall, a beautiful story that will warm the hearts of young readers and help them learn to be accepting, not just of themselves, but of those around them, too. After all, Francine is a prime example of what it means to show individuality.
