Weslandia

Story

Wesley is a social outsider. He isn’t interested in the things children of his age like (pizza, football, hairstyles). He decides for his summer project to sow a garden and to start his own civilization. Huge plants start to grow bearing curious-looking fruit. He experiments and finds that his plants will provide food, clothing, shelter and recreation. He creates a culture called ‘Westlandia’. As the summer progresses his neighbours and classmate become increasingly curious.

Why we chose it

An anti-bullying story. It deals with the issues of assimilation as well as accepting one’s own identity and the identity of others.

Where it came from

The story drew on Paul Fleischman’s boyhood memories of creating worlds in his imagination. Fleischman played with the idea of a farmer who tills the land but lets the wind seed the land.

Where it went next

Weslandia won a number of awards including the Greenaway medal.