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Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum has always thought of her name as beautiful and perfect as she herself until her classmates laugh when they hear it during roll call on the first day of school. Mercilessly teased about it in school by Victoria, Rita and Jo, Chrysanthemum begins to hate her name, in spite of assurances from her parents. Strapped for life with an ugly, unwieldy name, her future looks bleak until the much-admired music teacher, Mrs. Twinkle, reveals that she herself is named Delphinium. Suddenly, Victoria, Rita and Jo are asking to be called Marigold, Carnation and Lily of the Valley. Chrysanthemum grows and eventually blooms in a wry, perfectly paced picture story that's as much fun to read aloud as it is to listen to. Watercolor paints and a black pen were used to create the full-color art showing all the characters to be talking mice--a reality one almost forgets due to the observant writing about children. ©1991 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Wisconsin author, Wisconsin illustrator
Kevin Henkes grew up in Racine. He attended UW-Madison and lives in Madison.
Age Range:
Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3)
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Animals (Fiction)
Bullying and Teasing
Families
School
Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
Publisher:
Greenwillow
Publish Year: 1991
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0688096999
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Henkes