It’s the first day of school at Wee Ville Elementary School and all the students are excited to start a new year. Along with ‘reading, writing and arithmetic’, the students are about to meet a very special young man with a very positive and truly amazing attitude that will change them all.
As the new school year begins, the children of Mrs. Fernandes’ class are eager to get started and are happily smiling and chatting as they choose their new desks. As the teens settle in, her teacher welcomes another student who is a little late for school. Mrs. Fernandes introduces her students to Roland Faissett, a boy dressed as a magician, with a hat and a magic crystal ball.
Slowly, he crossed the room,
Dress dragging on the floor.
He sewed a seat that was alone
Right next to the exit door.
Roland appears to be a quiet kid, but soon the class is busy with their first task: to draw a picture of something they did on summer vacation and forget about the shy kid. It’s finally lunchtime and the students eagerly head to the cafeteria. While there, Caitlin, another of the Mrs. Fernandes students, notices that Roland is not at lunch. Her teacher explains that he had an appointment and that he would be back the next day.
The next day, the students in Mrs. Fernandes’ class are happy to see that the shy Roland has returned, still in his wizard outfit. The day fast-forwards to recess when the students start asking the young wizard about his outfit. He explains that the nurses at the hospital made the costume and gave him the crystal ball so he could do magic and get better. Roland’s new friends are curious, so the boy takes off his hat, revealing his bald head. He explains that “I had treatments called chemotherapy because my blood is sick” and that his crystal ball allows him to see his future healthy self which helps him get better. Roland’s new friends are happy to hear that Roland is done with his treatments and for Halloween, they all do something very special that brings the whole class together to cheer for Roland and his recovery.
Roland Faissett and The Wizards of Wee Ville is a moving story that is perfect for sharing with both young people facing medical challenges and their friends who may not understand what is happening. The story does not focus on Roland’s chemotherapy or other challenges, but on how the other students react and how they help their new friend. They see a child dressed differently and instead of making fun of him, they ask questions because they are curious. In fact, even the boy’s name, Roland Faissett (roll and face it), is a play on words that shows the amazing resilience of children. The watercolor illustrations are lovely and add a nice soft touch to the story.
