Chrysanthemum

Rating:
Summary: Great for kids and grownups alike
Review: Chrysanthemum loves her name- she whispers it to herself constantly. Her parents reinforce how unique and special she is, which is why they chose her "absolutely perfect" name. Chrysanthemum thinks her name is perfect, too- that is, until the day she enters Kindergarten and the kids make fun of her. From that day on, she is crestfallen every day she returns home from school, and it's up to her parents to bolster her confidence. Still, there's no hope for poor Chrysanthemum's broken spirit- until a substitute teacher with an equally unique name teaches the class, and makes all the girls wish they had a perfect name like Chrysanthemum, too. Kevin Henkes' books are great for kids, and equally enjoyable for adults(look for the subtle designs in the illustrations, like Chrysanthemum's Father reading child psychology books while her Mom comforts her)- it's the little attention to details that makes Henkes a favorite kids author.

Rating:
Summary: A perennial (ha ha!) classic
Review: If you were to single out the one picture book author that most successfully puts their finger on the pulse of children's hopes and fears, the award for Greatest Long-Distance Therapist would go to none other than Kevin Henkes. I am a huge fan of "Lily's Purple Plastic Purse" and I found a great deal of enjoyment in "Owen" (though I feel it's not his strongest work). Even "Wemberly Worried" covers a lot of ground by directly confronting the fears of worrywarts everywhere. With "Chrysanthemum", Henkes discusses originality and how being different (even if you're different in name alone) can single you out in both good and bad ways. As a Henkes fan, I consider this book to be amongst his strongest.

Chrysanthemum feels that her name is absolutely perfect. She likes how it looks and she likes how it sounds and she likes that it is her name alone. Everything's going great until Chrysanthemum starts school. Suddenly everyone's making fun of her name. She has a class full of Sams and Eves and Victorias. There doesn't seem to be a place for a girl with as wildly original a name as Chrysanthemum. One student in particular, Victoria, makes it her goal to continually ridicule poor little Chrysanthemum day in and day out. Talking about it with her parents helps a little, but the next day the same thing occurs. It seems that Chrysanthemum is doomed to be unhappy until she meets the music teacher Mrs. Twinkle. Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle. And suddenly everything in Chrysanthemum's life is a whole lot better.

I liked the moral of this lesson and the way in which Chrysanthemum learns that it's okay to be original. I also liked the epilogue in this tale wherein the leader of Chrysanthemum's tormentors abruptly forgets her lines in the school play and our little heroine is vindicated. Call me shallow, but I always enjoy it when the villains in a piece "get their's". This is probably indicative of a singular shallowness on my part. Just the same, the fact that the similarly tormented Molly of the children's book, "Molly's Pilgrim" never receives any vindication has always bothered me. So kudos to Kevin Henkes for punishing the bad guys mildly! Hear hear!

There are other less personally petty things I like about this book too. I always love a good Henkesian drawing. I love that the parents in these tales are always caring, available, and attentive to their children's needs. In this book I was especially amused by Chrysanthemum's father running to child psychology texts (like "The Inner Mouse Vol. 1: Childhood Anxiety" and "A Rose By Any Other Name...Understanding Identity") to help his daughter. I loved the extraordinarily cool Mrs. Twinkle with her hugely pregnant stomach, ballet shoes, and tail that twists into a musical staff. I loved it all.

If you have a child being teased by fellow classmates for being a little off, this may not be THE best book to offer, but it's pretty darn good. Give it a shot and see what you think. If you love Henkes, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: not good for bibliotherapy
Review: If you're looking for a cute, whimsical picture book to launch into a discussion with your child about respecting differences, this one has a major flaw. Love the pictures, love the whimsy, but when the little girl, Chrysanthemum, is teased for her name during naptime (the other girl snickers that chrysanthemums grow near worms and dirt, ugh), the teacher replies with sarcasm, "Thank you for sharing." Well, little kids don't get sarcasm--they take it literally. Why does the teacher not step in and say something straightforward about how that's an ugly statement? I don't want to teach my child that kids can get away with being nasty and teachers will look on in approval. True, a second teacher stands up for Chrysanthemum, but I think to let a teacher make a crack like that, without having some character call her on it, sends the message to kids that you can't trust teachers to do the right thing. At least the girl could've told her parents exactly what happened so they could say, "That teacher was wrong and we're going to talk to her" or something.

Rating:
Summary: Phillips and Port Review
Review: Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum is about a young mouse who is made fun of because of her name. She overcomes her hatred towards her name and is treated kindly by the other mice because of a teacher who tells them of how beautiful her name is. Henkes does a good job of relating Chrysanthemum's experience to real-life experiences for most young children who are different somehow. In addition, Henkes allows children to identify with Chrysanthemum's situation and therefore, the audience becomes more interested in the book. For example, a child who has a learning disability may have a different learning strategy and can compare to Chrysanthemum situation. He also teaches that it is alright to be different and that difference can be very good. He also does a good job of incorporating education and parental support in the book. Henkes message through this book can be considered credible because of the multiple children's books he has had published. Although the illustrations in this book are very simple, they are effective in allowing the audience to understand the plot line. The illustrations are also very colorful and attractive to the audience. Henkes not only provides interesting reading material for young children, but also makes children feel better about what they may think is different about themselves.

Rating:
Summary: Phillips and Port Review
Review: Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum is about a young mouse who is made fun of because of her name. She overcomes her hatred towards her name and is treated kindly by the other mice because of a teacher who tells them of how beautiful her name is. Henkes does a good job of relating Chrysanthemum's experience to real-life experiences for most young children who are different somehow. In addition, Henkes allows children to identify with Chrysanthemum's situation and therefore, the audience becomes more interested in the book. For example, a child who has a learning disability may have a different learning strategy and can compare to Chrysanthemum situation. He also teaches that it is alright to be different and that difference can be very good. He also does a good job of incorporating education and parental support in the book. Henkes message through this book can be considered credible because of the multiple children's books he has had published. Although the illustrations in this book are very simple, they are effective in allowing the audience to understand the plot line. The illustrations are also very colorful and attractive to the audience. Henkes not only provides interesting reading material for young children, but also makes children feel better about what they may think is different about themselves.

Rating:
Summary: Chrysanthemum
Review: One of the few books that my children love to hear over and over again. And it's one I actually don't mind reading over and over again. It's currently the very favorite of my 4 and a half year old daughter.

Rating:
Summary: not good for bibliotherapy
Review: This book is beautifully written! Keven Henkes tells a great story about appreciating our differences as individuals. I would highly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: Pure delight!
Review: This was the first Kevin Henkes book I bought. I got it as a Christmas present for my 4-year-old daughter. To say she loves it would be an understatement! I've become a big fan of Henkes, adding "Owen", "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse", "Sheila Rae, The Brave", "Weekend with Wendell" and "Wemberly Worries" to the collection. I'd also recommend the card game, which I think is called "Lilly's 3 for all" or something like that. Like the books, it draws on characters from across the different titles. (And my duaghter STILL wants to know when Victor will get his own book...and why these characters aren't in a movie. I'm with her on that. Wouldn't it be great to see the world of Kevin Henkes brought to "life"? Look how well "Little Bear" translated to animation.)

All-in-all, it's fun reading, delightful art, and some valuable lessons for kids.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent,Excellent,Excellent!
Review: What a precious book for little girls! Chrysanthemum experiences what many little girls do when they step outside their comfortable world, yet she is redeemed and her comfort zone is expanded and gives hope for all. I will read this to my baby girl when she is older, her and I both have "different" names. Like Chrysanthemum it may take a while to fully appreciate this blessing, and this book will be a valuable teaching tool.