Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum

Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes
 

Title: Chrysanthemum
 

Kevin Henkes

Author and Illustrator: Kevin Henkes write both picture books and novels. When he was young he decided he was going to become an artist and loved visiting the local library to take out colorful books. In high school one of Kevin's teachers encouraged him to write and so his career path was chosen. He has won many awards and recognitions including the Caldecott Honor. He currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife. www.kevinhenkes.com

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Lower elementary

Synopsis: Chrysanthemum follows a little mouse named Chrysanthemum as she attends school for the first time. Chrysanthemum had always loved her name and was very proud of it. On her way to school she was so excited she ran all the way there. Once at school some of the girls started picking on Chrysanthemum because her name is so long. They pointed out that it had thirteen letters, it hardly fit on a name tag, and that it was also the name of a flower. By the time she get home, Chrysanthemum is very upset and does not want to go back to school ever again. Her parents make her feel better and she is ready for school in the morning. The teasing continues and Chrysanthemum starts to feel badly about herself again. She even dreams that she is a flower and people are picking her petals. One day the music teacher Mrs. Twinkle comes into the classroom to talk about the upcoming musical production at the school. She hears the other girls picking on Chrysanthemum and she defends her. Mrs. Twinkle tells the girls that her first name is Delphinium which is also very long and the name of a flower! She also tells the girls that she is going to name her baby Chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemum was so happy and never had a problem with the girls again.

Chrysanthemum

Theme: The two major themes that can be connected to this book are bullying and family.

Pre-reading Activity: With the assistance of a teacher aide act out a scene of bullying. Have one adult be the bully and the other adult be the teased. When the skit is over ask the students what the teased should have done differently. Encourage the students to speak out against bullying and always tell an adult when something bad is happening.

Post-reading Activity: After the book is read, have the students each create one poster against bullying. The posters should be colorful, include why bullying is bad, and ways to help stop bullying. With permission on the building principal hang the posters in the hallway as part of the school's character education program.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on their posters. The posters should include at least two ways to stop bullying, at least one reason bullying is not good, and it should be visually appealing. These will be hung in the hallway so they should be the students' personal best work.
 

Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle

Personal Reflection: Chrysanthemum was my favorite book growing up. Chrysanthemum is a very sweet mouse who is having difficulty in school. She is very relate-able and she is a character I think young students would root for. Chrysanthemum does not speak out against her bullies and the situation gets worse. It only gets better when an adult steps in. I think this is an important lesson to teach to children. Bullying is occurring at younger and younger ages and adults are not always aware of it. I love that Kevin Henkes used a teacher to set things right showing students that teachers are their friends and can help them in tough situations. I would definitely use this book in an elementary classroom as part of a character education unit. Kevin Henkes would be a great author to do an author study on as he has numerous children's books published. I have read many of his books and think they would all appeal to young readers.