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A Bargain for Frances (Frances the Badger)
Frances and Thelma are best friends� most of the time. When Frances goes to Thelma's house for a tea party, Mother says, "Be careful. When you play with Thelma you always get the worst of it." But Frances isn't careful and her good friend Thelma sells her an old plastic tea set, when Frances really wants a new china one with pretty blue pictures. Worst of all, there are no...more
Hardcover, 64 pages
Published
March 6th 2006
by Backpack Books
(first published September 30th 1970)
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Frances experiences the dark side of female manipulation and cunning... over a tea set. Great for a read aloud and exploring characters and motivations. My class was literally on the edge of their of seats shaking thier heads saying,"She DIDN'T"
A harrowing meditation on greed, deception, vengeancelust and the nature of Evil, this is Hoban's masterpiece. A near-flawless work of Art.
6 likes · like · see review
Oct 29, 2008
Mahrya
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
2nd and 3rd Graders
Shelves:
juvenilia
Hoban, Russell. A Bargain for Frances, Harper & Row, 62 pages. Early reader, series: I Can Read.
Description: Frances' friend, Thelma, tricks Frances into buying her subpar tea set. In the end, Frances gets the tea set she wants and helps Thelma become a better friend.
Review: In Bargain for Frances, Hoban has developed a very believable, kid-like world using the limited vocabulary of an early reader. Kids who are almost ready for chapter books will enjoy Frances' adventures in dealing with Th...more
Description: Frances' friend, Thelma, tricks Frances into buying her subpar tea set. In the end, Frances gets the tea set she wants and helps Thelma become a better friend.
Review: In Bargain for Frances, Hoban has developed a very believable, kid-like world using the limited vocabulary of an early reader. Kids who are almost ready for chapter books will enjoy Frances' adventures in dealing with Th...more
Frances is visiting her friend Thelma. Now, Thelma is one of those kids... her mom WARNS her and WARNS her that every time she plays with Thelma, things end up badly for her. SHE is the one who falls in the lake skating (because Thelma wants her to go first). SHE is the one who gets bumps in her head from playing with a boomerang (because Thelma likes to throw it).
And this time, SHE is the one who gets cheated out of her saved-up money to get a CHINA tea set, and ends up with Thelma's old junky...more
And this time, SHE is the one who gets cheated out of her saved-up money to get a CHINA tea set, and ends up with Thelma's old junky...more
Sep 16, 2010
Kathryn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-picture-books,
friends-of-my-youth
Frances is off to play with her friend Thelma. "Be careful," warns Mamma. For it seems that, whenever Thelma and Frances play together, Frances ends up with the short end of the stick. But, what could possibly go wrong with an innocent little tea party between friends? Quite a lot when one of those friends ends up being a bit conniving and untruthful, when there is money and much longed-for tea sets involved in a trade cemented with that very firm, fast rule "no backsies."
I LOVED this book when...more
I LOVED this book when...more
5 likes · like · see review
I absolutely adore this book. It reminds me so of growing up making mud pies and having tea parties with a "real china tea set with pictures on it in blue" (the kind with "trees and birds and a Chinese house and a fence and a boat and people walking on a bridge"). Mostly it reminds me of playing with my next-door neighbor and best friend. We still laugh fifty years later about "no backsies".
A Bargain for Frances is a favorite book for many people. It was first written in 1970, so it has had the opportunity to be read by millions of people growing up. In this story, Frances gets tricked into buying a tea set from her friend, and learns that she has to be careful when playing with tricky friends.
The illustrations are a main feature of this book. Frances and her friends are drawn in wonderful detail and are drawn in a way that makes the reader fall in love with the characters.
The...more
The illustrations are a main feature of this book. Frances and her friends are drawn in wonderful detail and are drawn in a way that makes the reader fall in love with the characters.
The...more
Again, as with the other books in this series, Russell (Riddley Walker, The Medusa Frequency) and Lillian (Tea and Jam for Frances) Hoban have built a clear, core narrative around an important life-lesson for their young readers, told through the simple charcoal-and pencil medium, but enhanced by a savvy use of two-colour printing to provide a comfortable, yet salient homeliness that both assures and excites. That the narrative is carried forward through the frozen actions of a family of badgers...more
3 likes · like · see review
Jun 29, 2008
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading to young children
Timeless story about friendship and the wiles of young girls - another great story from my childhood! I love it when I can share books with our girls that I read in my own childhood.
Sep 26, 2010
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lisa by:
Kathryn
I was too old for this book when it was first published but I’m not too old for it now. I recently saw it being discussed here at Goodreads and decided to read it.
Oh, how this evokes a feeling of childhood. I’m sure I’d have loved it when I was a kid.
I loved trusting and clever Frances, and I’m in agreement with her about the blue tea set.
This is a wonderful book for kids who are ready for longer picture books, and would be a perfect springboard for a discussion about what makes someone a good f...more
Oh, how this evokes a feeling of childhood. I’m sure I’d have loved it when I was a kid.
I loved trusting and clever Frances, and I’m in agreement with her about the blue tea set.
This is a wonderful book for kids who are ready for longer picture books, and would be a perfect springboard for a discussion about what makes someone a good f...more
4 likes · like · see review
I was glad to hear Melissa Harris-Perry give a televised summary, on October 20, 2012, of a favorite book from her childhood. Harris-Perry made a connection between one character in the book and one person in politics.
The character in the book tells multiple lies. The character in the book pressures someone to buy something of no value. Then the character in the book uses the other person's money to buy something of value.
I enjoyed reading the book.
The character in the book tells multiple lies. The character in the book pressures someone to buy something of no value. Then the character in the book uses the other person's money to buy something of value.
I enjoyed reading the book.
May 27, 2009
Lisa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
picture-books
I had to search for a copy of this for my library, but I had to have it. I still remember picturing the "real china tea set with pictures all in blue" when I was a little girl. The story is about Frances and a "friend" of hers who is more of a bully. She gets tricked by her, and ends up tricking her back to get her to admitt the truth. A clever and fun book that shows you that you should treat others as you would like to be treated.
We recently bought an I Can Read! Level 2 version of A Bargain for Frances in a splurge on my Frances books at my preschooler's request. Much like with Best Friends for Frances in how Frances uses a bit of whit she is obviously paying attention to some calm methods learned from her parents. Going to spend the day with a friend that has taken advantage of Frances before, her mother warns her to be careful. She is tricked out of her money and into a tea set that she did not want while her friend g...more
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I have four grown children and I read to all of them beginning when I got them home from the hospital. When you choose a children's book, expect to read it at least 100 times if it's really good. Kids don't get board of books they like. For this reason, it was essential that *I* liked the books enough to read them over and over. Any book by either Russell or Lillian Hoban is endlessly readable and funny.
This is one of the first books I remember ordering from the book order at school. I ordered the copy with a record and listened to it over and over and over. I think I had every Frances book/record available. It had a chime to signal when to turn the page. That would be a great download to use for text message alerts now! :-)
1 like · like · see review
This was the second Frances book I had. I didn't read this one hardly at all because the other Frances book of mine had a tape where I could actually listen to Frances sing her cute made up songs. Trying to just imagine her sing the songs is not the same as actually hearing her on tape so this book isn't as special to me.
Dec 12, 2011
Needleroozer
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kids-picture-books
Frances is a badger.
In this story (part of a whole series of Frances books, this one for younger readers), Frances is tricked by her friend. In return, Frances tricks her friend. I think the message here is "be careful."
Why is the mother badger wearing a dress, but the three little badger girls are naked?
In this story (part of a whole series of Frances books, this one for younger readers), Frances is tricked by her friend. In return, Frances tricks her friend. I think the message here is "be careful."
Why is the mother badger wearing a dress, but the three little badger girls are naked?
This was always one of my favorite books growing up. It's very fun and gets children to think about telling the truth and actually doing things because you gave your word that you would. It lets us know that doing the right thing may be hard sometimes but we will be respected in the long run if we do.
A parent's request this morning reminded me of this gem. Frances finally gets tired of how Thelma manipulates her, and asks a question along the lines of: "Do you want to be careful, or do you want to be friends." An excellent jumping-off point for discussing young "mean girl" dynamics.
Jan 18, 2011
Michelle Couey
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
beginner-readers
really enjoyed this book about catty girls and the relationship that they share. I remember making mud pies and friends to hang out with. No backsies is hilarious and when frances turns the table on her friend I chuckled..I have to read this to my Sydney she will love it!
Frances is warned (by her mom) to be careful when playing with Thelma. Francess is tricked into buying Thelma's ugly plastic teaset. Francess finds a way to be friends instead. Sweet story about how it's nicer to be friends rather that to be careful.
My favorite Frances book (and that is saying a lot)! I remember reading this book as a child and clearly thinking that Thelma was a rotten sneak. I very much understood the reasons why Frances would covet a real china tea set with pictures on it in blue.
I learned that badgers have really cute noses!
I don't remember exactly when I read it but I think my mom must have gotten it for me because my friends and I were always trading our things. It was sort of a problem, if I recall correctly!
I don't remember exactly when I read it but I think my mom must have gotten it for me because my friends and I were always trading our things. It was sort of a problem, if I recall correctly!
In this book Frances's "best friend" Thelma totally rips her off!
Thelma is a nasty biatch! This book made me laugh because as little
girls, Thelma and Frances back-stabbed each other for a tea-set,in a couple of years it will be over boyszzz!!! Hahahahahaloll.
Thelma is a nasty biatch! This book made me laugh because as little
girls, Thelma and Frances back-stabbed each other for a tea-set,in a couple of years it will be over boyszzz!!! Hahahahahaloll.
A great story to talk about morals and character. I would read this book at the beginning of the year and discuss how friends should be treated. Poor Frances....she should have listened to her mother. Kindergarten through 2nd grade.
I really like this book. There is a good moral meaning to the story and I think most children can relate. My only problem was the illustrations. My daughter and I sometimes could not tell who was who(Frances or Thelma).
This is an EXCELLENT book. I can't believe I never read it before today! I have long loved Bread and Jam for Frances, and now I love this one too. Frances is a badger. I can't read a Frances book without remembering that.
This book is so clever! More of a girl book, so the rating is mine and not Talmage's. Frances is tricked by a friend into an unfair trade. But Frances has a very clever way of remedying the situation!
Brings up some more mature themes about friendship and betrayal compared to the other Frances books. Also wordier than the others. It's a good read for older kids, but a little heavy for a 3-year-old.
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Jan 28, 2008 01:28pm