Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
Common Sense Note
Spirited little Lilly, decked out in red cowboy boots and glittery glasses, quickly becomes a familiar friend, so that when she learns her lesson, readers accept it too.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Susan Fitzgerald
Few lessons in patience are so entertaining. Adults and kids alike will love this tale of the splendid relationship between a bouncy student and her sensitive teacher. Parents find something familiar about the hyperactive child, and readers get a close-up look at Lilly's personality through speech and thought bubbles that supplement the text, highlighting conversations with Mr. Slinger and her baby brother, Julius, as well as providing insight into her thoughts.
What makes Lilly so lovable to parents is her joy for life and her ability to draw young and not-so-young readers in with her limitless enthusiasm. You see, Lilly really wants to be a teacher--that is, unless she decides to be a "dancer, or a surgeon or an ambulance driver or a diver or a pilot or a hairdresser or a scuba diver ... ."
The range of emotions Lilly experiences on one important school day teaches readers about patience and remorse in a most nonjudgmental way. And while two five-year-old readers giggled at Lilly's unkind drawing of her teacher, they quickly commented, "That's not nice." Both were thrilled at the end, however, when Lilly displayed her nifty purse, quarters, and glasses after waiting for sharing time.
From The Book
Lilly had a new pair of movie-star sunglasses, complete with glittery diamonds and a chain like Mr. Slinger's. She had three shiny quarters. And, best of all, she had a brand-new purple plastic purse that played a jaunty tune when it was opened.
Plot Summary:
A purple plastic purse. Movie-star sunglasses. Shiny quarters. Kevin Henkes's mouse child is eager to share her new possessions with her classmates, but her unwillingness to wait her turn quickly leads to anger, and remorse. But a supportive teacher shows Lilly the importance of patience. Henkes has a light touch with his lesson, and his main character is a delight.
Related Books:
If you're stuck on Lilly, read more about her adventures in Julius, Baby of the World . The title character of Kay Thompson's Eloise is just as irrepressible. Another excellent story about a frustrated child is Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Rate It!
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Social BehaviorLilly misbehaves during class and retaliates when she is disciplined, but she redeems herself. |
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