Chrysanthemum: A First Day of School Book for Kids

by Kevin Henkes

Book Overview

Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round.

Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten's First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum is a don't-miss classic, especially for back to school.

Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect--until...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688096999
• ISBN13: 9780688096991
• Release Date: September 1991
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.3" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Sweet

Perfect for my daughter who also has a long name-she loved it!

Cute and Sweet

My daughters loves this book. She loves it even more when paired with the recording by Meryl Streep.

Chrysanthemum

I think that this story is one that will inspire children. It deals with the elements of peer pressure that all children will face at one point or another and shows how easily views are swayed. This story also does a good job of demonstrating that everyone has ups and downs. I would recommend reading this story to your child or class at the beginning of the school year as a model for inappropriate behavior and ways to handle bullies. I would also recommend other stories by this author because they include good use of voice as well as life situations with which almost all children can relate.

excellent

Chrysantmum loves her name but when she started school she thought her name was dreadful! Her name was spelled with thirteen letters,and she was named after a flower.The wicked Victoria even said she looked liked a flower . After the class was introduced to Mrs Twinkle,everyone thought her name was perfect! Chrsantmum was happy.I think this book is good for 3~8 years old readers,it is very interesting and has special names.I am 8 years old and I like to read story books to my 3 years old sister.

A great way to start the year

This is a great book to start off the school year. The childrenwill enjoy this wonderful story of a little mouse who loves her nameuntil she begins school and is made fun of for it. It is a great way to start discussions on diversity in the classroom, how to treat people equally and nicely, and except everyone and anyone for who they are.

A wonderful flower book

I bought this book for my daughter when she was 4 year-old.For I am not an American,it was hard for me to pronounce even the title of this book when I picked it up to read it for my daughter. But I now have an American tongue for this book. We kept in reading this book everyday, so she remembered all the names of Chrysanthemum's friends and showed her enthusiasm in learning the reading.She kept the book by her while she slept and brought it everywhere she went.Now she is 7,and this book is still one of her treasures.

"Chrysanthemum is Absolutely Perfect"

When Chrysanthemum was born, her parents thought that she was absolutely perfect and felt that her name must fit that. Chrysanthemum loved her name until she went to school and all her classmates teased her about it. One day, by the help of a teacher, Chrysanthemum and her classmates realize that her name is not all that bad. The text and illustrations in Chrysanthemum blend together to form a delightful book for both kids and adults. The story also explains a valuable lesson, and that is, to be nice to others, no matter how different they are. The language is simple, but also involves some complex adjectives: "precious", "priceless", "fascinating" and "winsome". Repeated verses in the text can also be found throughout the story. "She did not think her name was absolutely perfect. She thought it was absolutely dreadful." This sentence is repeated several times and is like the chorus to a song. The repeated lines provide consistency throughout the book. Another repeated line is "Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum." The repetition of this line aids in the concordance of the story. Kevin Henkes also makes the print of the story life-like at one point. "Chrysanthemum grew and grew and grew." As the font grows larger, it grabs the attention of the reader. This is a singled out event, which makes it even more memorable. Another instance of language playing an important part in this story is when Chrysanthemum is teased. Her reaction is the same every time; "Chrysanthemum wilted." This is a brilliant metaphor for a children's book. It gives a human flower-like characteristics. In addition, the illustrations fit well with the text. The pictures actually add to what the text is trying to get across to the reader. The drawings in Chrysanthemum are very simple but effective. Some books rely just on illustrations to tell the story, some just rely on text, and others rely on both. The author of Chrysanthemum relies mainly on text to tell a story, although the illustrations do help the story to be more appealing. The text alone may seem to be boring and monotonous, but Kevin Henkes makes it exciting and produces the central focus of the book.