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Mouse Books
Crisantemo
A Crisantem le encantaba su nombre hasta que fue a la escuela y todos se reían de él. Pero un día la profesora de música dijo que le gustaba el nombre de Crisantem...
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,198 reviews
March 30, 2009
I loved the subplot, told only in the pictures, wherein the father consults archaic psychological texts in order to understand his daughter's distress.
March 12, 2021
The hubby is wooing me with adorable children’s books now that his new office is in the elementary library.
What an adorable and brightly illustrated gem. It was “absolutely perfect” just like Chrysanthemum’s winsome name.
What an adorable and brightly illustrated gem. It was “absolutely perfect” just like Chrysanthemum’s winsome name.
November 17, 2020
I do love the name Chrysanthemum, but it is long. It's unique and you could nick name them ChrysAnn. Anyway,
This book is an interesting study of identity and how our peers can affect us. It can also be a nice book about being a little different at school and having to deal with that. It's a little longer story. I wasn't really taken by the artwork, but it told the story just fine and had plenty of fun details.
Chrysanthemum loved her special name for 5 years and then she goes to school and is teased about her name. It deflates her and she begins to hate her name. She just met these kids and already she cares what they think about her to the point they can make her hate her name. We really do need our peers to accept us.
The thing is, school throws together everyone and sometimes we have to have patience to find our tribe. It can take years, at least in my case.
So, all the kids make fun of Chrysanthemum and then something amazing happens. A music teacher comes in and she is a person who all the kids love. There is an immediate connection and she is one of the teacher's kids look up too. It's like a spell or fame. Their opinion means so much to everyone. When Mrs. Twinkle says she loves the name Chrysanthemum, the whole class changes there mind. Now, that is some magic. I have seen this phenomenon so often, either with a famous person, or someone who most people genuinely like and they have this mysterious pull on people's opinions, at least for a time. I've never had that and I always wondered what that would be like, to be a taste maker, essentially, or simply universally liked. I was too busy being a wallflower to ever know.
The story is trying to get a message across and it can be important if a kid is dealing with something like this. The mice are cute enough. I think the message seems a little forced, but that's okay for the age it is trying to help.
As for names, I came up with a lot of names for my kids if I ever had them, and I found unusual names for them. I also feel that a girls name needs 3 syllables, well not need, but I like that. I never had kids so they were spared the embarrassment of my names I gave them, but I write all kinds of stories and my names for my main characters are fun to come up with. Chrysanthemum would be a name I would totally use. Anyway.
This book is an interesting study of identity and how our peers can affect us. It can also be a nice book about being a little different at school and having to deal with that. It's a little longer story. I wasn't really taken by the artwork, but it told the story just fine and had plenty of fun details.
Chrysanthemum loved her special name for 5 years and then she goes to school and is teased about her name. It deflates her and she begins to hate her name. She just met these kids and already she cares what they think about her to the point they can make her hate her name. We really do need our peers to accept us.
The thing is, school throws together everyone and sometimes we have to have patience to find our tribe. It can take years, at least in my case.
So, all the kids make fun of Chrysanthemum and then something amazing happens. A music teacher comes in and she is a person who all the kids love. There is an immediate connection and she is one of the teacher's kids look up too. It's like a spell or fame. Their opinion means so much to everyone. When Mrs. Twinkle says she loves the name Chrysanthemum, the whole class changes there mind. Now, that is some magic. I have seen this phenomenon so often, either with a famous person, or someone who most people genuinely like and they have this mysterious pull on people's opinions, at least for a time. I've never had that and I always wondered what that would be like, to be a taste maker, essentially, or simply universally liked. I was too busy being a wallflower to ever know.
The story is trying to get a message across and it can be important if a kid is dealing with something like this. The mice are cute enough. I think the message seems a little forced, but that's okay for the age it is trying to help.
As for names, I came up with a lot of names for my kids if I ever had them, and I found unusual names for them. I also feel that a girls name needs 3 syllables, well not need, but I like that. I never had kids so they were spared the embarrassment of my names I gave them, but I write all kinds of stories and my names for my main characters are fun to come up with. Chrysanthemum would be a name I would totally use. Anyway.
September 30, 2024
I really and for all intents and purposes do much love Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum and on an intensely personal and emotional level at that, and firmly believe that it is a story to which especially those of us (and really both children and adults) who have unusual, foreign sounding or simply imaginative first names can easily and readily relate (like me, for example, with a given name like Gundula).
And first and foremost, Chrysanthemum is therefore and even simply a sweet and evocative story about loving, about appreciating one's name, about loving oneself, but also very much and even sadly a tale about bullying and schoolyard, classroom harassment and how this is often neither taken seriously enough nor even remotely successfully combatted. For just look at Chrysanthemum's first teacher Mrs. Chud, who annoyingly and really totally in all ways cluelessly does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING USEFUL with regard to Chrysanthemum being relentlessly and loudly ridiculed due to her name, except that she says something snarky and sarcastic to Victoria (thank you for sharing that with us); younger children often do not even get and understand sarcasm and satire and what Victoria sorely needs and requires is direct criticism from Mrs. Chud or some other adult authority figure, actual, bona fide verbal chastisement and censure (lasting consequences, an educational deterrent and lesson, so to speak).
And even Chrysanthemum's own parents, although they do tell her their daughter that she is special (and that her name is perfect) and try to coddle her a bit at home, really also do nothing even REMOTELY useful or all that practical about the relentless bullying itself, as they neither complain at school nor do they bother with confronting the teacher. They simply and naively believe that by telling Chrysanthemum that her name is beautiful, everything will be alright, but the intimidation and nastiness just keep happening (and yes, my parents did pretty much the same when certain popular morons at school started calling me Gondola instead of Gundula and made relentless fun of my German accent, but I guess it did not much help that one of my teachers also believed it was my own fault that I was being bullied as according to him, I was supposedly not trying "hard enough" to get rid of my accent, talk about victim blaming, and sadly, my parents agreed with the teacher and simply told me to try harder, pretty rich considering that they also had a similar if not even a more pronounced German accent when speaking English).
However and that all being said, and while it does indeed and I think with some justification bother me how little and especially how few practical measures are taken by Mrs. Chud and Chrysanthemum's parents (by the majority of the adults in Chrysanthemum) to confront both the nastiness and the bullies (Victoria and her little gang of robot-like acolytes), I actually very much do both cheer and heartily applaud Kevin Henkes for not shying away from featuring, from presenting this sorry factoid, this uncomfortable scenario, as in reality, it happens far more often than any of us would care to think and even desire to consider (for while it might indeed make especially parents and caregivers such as teachers potentially uncomfortable, it is the truth, or rather, it is the unavoidable and sadly frustrating reality of bullying and how it is approached that it is often really NOT handled or rather that it is time and again not successfully and intelligently dealt with).
For to successfully combat schoolyard intimidation and nastiness, one usually and generally will need to actively confront both the bully/bullies and their unacceptable behaviours, and the only adult character to really ever do this in Chrysanthemum in any positive and thoughtful manner is Mrs. Twinkle (the popular new music teacher), probably because she knows from likely equally painful personal first-hand experience what name calling and bullying is like (having the name Delphinium). And she achieves a positive outcome and end in a manner that not only makes Chrysanthemum feel great and special about herself again, but it also makes the erstwhile bullies rather majorly ashamed and finally realise that Chrysanthemum's name is indeed not only unusual but also sweet and pretty (however, if they have actually learned their lessons on a permanent and lasting basis, that will of course remain to be seen, as this is left open by Kevin Henkes).
Now while I do realise that some readers tend to chafe a bit at the ending, the epilogue (where Chrysanthemum giggles because her erstwhile nemesis Victoria has forgotten her assigned musicale lines), on a purely emotional and personal level, and after all of the relentless and loathsome teasing she has had to endure, I can certainly very well understand Chrysanthemum's reaction (her giggling at Victoria). And really, all she does is giggle a bit, not particularly friendly and nice, I guess, but Chrysanthemum does NOT in any way attempt to nastily and viciously humiliate Victoria in front of the entire class (which is precisely what Victoria does with Chrysanthemum, and on numerous occasions, like when she raises her hand and pontificates to the entire class that Chrysanthemum's name contains thirteen letters). And no, I am certainly not trying to excuse Chrysanthemum's behaviour as being in any way praiseworthy, but I can and do much understand and actually even rather appreciate it on a personal and emotional level (and think that Victoria more than richly deserves being mildly teased, as one reaps what one has sown, and a dose of one's own bitter medicine might actually and in fact be a healthy tonic for Victoria).
And now finally, and as much as I appreciate and even oh so much love Kevin Henkes' narrative, I do not really find his accompanying illustrations equally visually attractive and evocative (although I do consider the pictures bright, fun and sweetly descriptive, and a more than decent accompaniment to the presented, the featured text). For since I cannot actually find anything in the narrative which indicates that Chrysanthemum deals specifically with mice (and mouselike behaviour), I would most definitely prefer illustrations of (and a story about) human beings instead of anthropomorphic rodents (but that is a small and entirely personal pet peeve, as I have actually never liked especially human-like mice overly much, and especially not as pictorial offerings). Four stars for Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum and highly recommended!
And first and foremost, Chrysanthemum is therefore and even simply a sweet and evocative story about loving, about appreciating one's name, about loving oneself, but also very much and even sadly a tale about bullying and schoolyard, classroom harassment and how this is often neither taken seriously enough nor even remotely successfully combatted. For just look at Chrysanthemum's first teacher Mrs. Chud, who annoyingly and really totally in all ways cluelessly does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING USEFUL with regard to Chrysanthemum being relentlessly and loudly ridiculed due to her name, except that she says something snarky and sarcastic to Victoria (thank you for sharing that with us); younger children often do not even get and understand sarcasm and satire and what Victoria sorely needs and requires is direct criticism from Mrs. Chud or some other adult authority figure, actual, bona fide verbal chastisement and censure (lasting consequences, an educational deterrent and lesson, so to speak).
And even Chrysanthemum's own parents, although they do tell her their daughter that she is special (and that her name is perfect) and try to coddle her a bit at home, really also do nothing even REMOTELY useful or all that practical about the relentless bullying itself, as they neither complain at school nor do they bother with confronting the teacher. They simply and naively believe that by telling Chrysanthemum that her name is beautiful, everything will be alright, but the intimidation and nastiness just keep happening (and yes, my parents did pretty much the same when certain popular morons at school started calling me Gondola instead of Gundula and made relentless fun of my German accent, but I guess it did not much help that one of my teachers also believed it was my own fault that I was being bullied as according to him, I was supposedly not trying "hard enough" to get rid of my accent, talk about victim blaming, and sadly, my parents agreed with the teacher and simply told me to try harder, pretty rich considering that they also had a similar if not even a more pronounced German accent when speaking English).
However and that all being said, and while it does indeed and I think with some justification bother me how little and especially how few practical measures are taken by Mrs. Chud and Chrysanthemum's parents (by the majority of the adults in Chrysanthemum) to confront both the nastiness and the bullies (Victoria and her little gang of robot-like acolytes), I actually very much do both cheer and heartily applaud Kevin Henkes for not shying away from featuring, from presenting this sorry factoid, this uncomfortable scenario, as in reality, it happens far more often than any of us would care to think and even desire to consider (for while it might indeed make especially parents and caregivers such as teachers potentially uncomfortable, it is the truth, or rather, it is the unavoidable and sadly frustrating reality of bullying and how it is approached that it is often really NOT handled or rather that it is time and again not successfully and intelligently dealt with).
For to successfully combat schoolyard intimidation and nastiness, one usually and generally will need to actively confront both the bully/bullies and their unacceptable behaviours, and the only adult character to really ever do this in Chrysanthemum in any positive and thoughtful manner is Mrs. Twinkle (the popular new music teacher), probably because she knows from likely equally painful personal first-hand experience what name calling and bullying is like (having the name Delphinium). And she achieves a positive outcome and end in a manner that not only makes Chrysanthemum feel great and special about herself again, but it also makes the erstwhile bullies rather majorly ashamed and finally realise that Chrysanthemum's name is indeed not only unusual but also sweet and pretty (however, if they have actually learned their lessons on a permanent and lasting basis, that will of course remain to be seen, as this is left open by Kevin Henkes).
Now while I do realise that some readers tend to chafe a bit at the ending, the epilogue (where Chrysanthemum giggles because her erstwhile nemesis Victoria has forgotten her assigned musicale lines), on a purely emotional and personal level, and after all of the relentless and loathsome teasing she has had to endure, I can certainly very well understand Chrysanthemum's reaction (her giggling at Victoria). And really, all she does is giggle a bit, not particularly friendly and nice, I guess, but Chrysanthemum does NOT in any way attempt to nastily and viciously humiliate Victoria in front of the entire class (which is precisely what Victoria does with Chrysanthemum, and on numerous occasions, like when she raises her hand and pontificates to the entire class that Chrysanthemum's name contains thirteen letters). And no, I am certainly not trying to excuse Chrysanthemum's behaviour as being in any way praiseworthy, but I can and do much understand and actually even rather appreciate it on a personal and emotional level (and think that Victoria more than richly deserves being mildly teased, as one reaps what one has sown, and a dose of one's own bitter medicine might actually and in fact be a healthy tonic for Victoria).
And now finally, and as much as I appreciate and even oh so much love Kevin Henkes' narrative, I do not really find his accompanying illustrations equally visually attractive and evocative (although I do consider the pictures bright, fun and sweetly descriptive, and a more than decent accompaniment to the presented, the featured text). For since I cannot actually find anything in the narrative which indicates that Chrysanthemum deals specifically with mice (and mouselike behaviour), I would most definitely prefer illustrations of (and a story about) human beings instead of anthropomorphic rodents (but that is a small and entirely personal pet peeve, as I have actually never liked especially human-like mice overly much, and especially not as pictorial offerings). Four stars for Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum and highly recommended!
May 13, 2014
“Chrysanthemum” is a cute tale from Kevin Henkes about how a young girl mouse named Chrysanthemum tries to appreciate her long and unusual name when she goes to school and is teased by her classmates. “Chrysanthemum” is a truly heartwarming story that children will easily enjoy for many years.
Kevin Henkes has done an excellent job at both writing and illustrating this book. Kevin Henkes’ story about how Chrysanthemum starts to loathe her name because some kids teased her about her name is easily relatable to children who have also been teased about their names. Also, the story does a great job at describing how much Chrysanthemum loves her name and even though she was teased about her name, she learns to accept her name and many children will learn that they should not let other kids tease them about their names and that they should accept who they are no matter what. Kevin Henkes’ illustrations are cute as all the characters are mice that perform human activities such as dancing around on their hind legs. The image that stood out the most was the image of Mrs. Twinkle herself as the text describes how amazing she is and the image strongly reinforces that by having Mrs. Twinkle look extremely beautiful and having a large stomach due to her being pregnant which is one of the few times I actually saw an image of a pregnant character in a children’s book.
“Chrysanthemum” is a wonderful book about accepting who you are no matter what other people say that children will easily relate to and enjoy. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing inappropriate in the content of this book.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
November 5, 2009
Very cute illustrations and a sweet portrayal of a loving, happy family soften a realistic portrayal of how mean and xenophobic children can be, and how easily a child can be excluded and made to feel abnormal.
December 2, 2007
This is just a darling book. Having saddled my eldest with a somewhat unusual name, I used to read this book to him frequently in the hopes that he would absorb the message that an unusual name is something you can be proud of. I can't say for sure whether this story made a difference, but he likes his name and has never let anyone's teasing change his mind.
Chrysanthemum is so much fun to read. I do wish that the epilogue was just a little different. The last page has the mean girl making a mistake and Chrysanthemum giggling about it. It's reasonable for Chrysanthemum to feel some satisfaction at her enemy's downfall (and I would feel the same way), but I find myself wishing that Chrysanthemum had been the bigger mouse and not enjoyed Victoria's flub so much. It ends the story on a slightly sour note that keeps the book from being absolutely perfect.
Chrysanthemum is so much fun to read. I do wish that the epilogue was just a little different. The last page has the mean girl making a mistake and Chrysanthemum giggling about it. It's reasonable for Chrysanthemum to feel some satisfaction at her enemy's downfall (and I would feel the same way), but I find myself wishing that Chrysanthemum had been the bigger mouse and not enjoyed Victoria's flub so much. It ends the story on a slightly sour note that keeps the book from being absolutely perfect.
February 25, 2025
As someone also born with a name on the longer side both first and last, going through this wonderful little study on human connections and how we can’t help but have others opinions shape our own shapes of identity no matter how firm or strongly rooted they may seem in the beginning. Just like our main protagonist though, her and I both had to realize and practice not only self love but the ability to hear others opinions without necessarily taking them to heart and the special and surprising results that can come forth from the exercise. 4.5/5
September 5, 2010
I enjoyed this book and reading the discussion about it. I liked the attention to detail in the illustrations. For example, the books Dad was reading or the chalkboard with words. I also smiled at the little mice sleeping, some of them with their arms strait up in the air. Too funny! I got a kick out of the students names listed on the page seeing Kay and Max next to each other. I will have to share this book with Kaylee and her cousin Max when they are old enough to read.
As for the story itself, I agree with all points made in the discussion group here on goodreads in the Children's Picture Book Club. I do believe the bullying should have been addressed more. I wasn't too thrilled that Chrysanthemum giggled at Victoria after her mistake. That isn't something I want my daughter to think is okay.
I loved Mrs. Twinkle and her interesting dress. Not sure I could have rocked that dress when I was pregnant, but she sure did!
As for the story itself, I agree with all points made in the discussion group here on goodreads in the Children's Picture Book Club. I do believe the bullying should have been addressed more. I wasn't too thrilled that Chrysanthemum giggled at Victoria after her mistake. That isn't something I want my daughter to think is okay.
I loved Mrs. Twinkle and her interesting dress. Not sure I could have rocked that dress when I was pregnant, but she sure did!
September 12, 2007
For a basically sweet book, I think it’s a tad too mean at the end, unnecessarily so. But, it can be a helpful book for young kids who have unusual names or get teased for their names, or teased for any other reason. Good also for kids who tease others or those who have witnessed other kids being teased. In other words, just about every young child.
September 14, 2010
Poor Chrysanthemum! As a parent, I can surely relate to the teasing that children can dish out. My son was much like Chysanthemum, confident in himself and excited about going to school. But he had to deal with being teased too - as son many kids are. What I liked about the book was that it showed how much power grown-ups have to deal with this sort of thing. Mrs. Chud ignored it, but dear Mrs. Twinkle lifted Chysanthemum up as a child who should be envied, not made fun of. And soon, the other kids wanted to be more like her.
The illustrations were a little too cutesy for me, given the theme of bullying and teasing. But I imagine for children, it might help draw them into the story and make the bullying feel less threatening.
The illustrations were a little too cutesy for me, given the theme of bullying and teasing. But I imagine for children, it might help draw them into the story and make the bullying feel less threatening.
September 24, 2016
I absolutely love reading this book with Catherine. I love the cadence of "Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum" over and over. I love her outfits. I love how she loves her name and is her own person....errr mouse. I love how loving her parents are (and can we talk about her dad's excellent vocabulary and supportive reading habits?) I love how the mean girls get their due in the end and want a little share of Chrysanthemum's unique and magical spirit. Maybe...just maybe I would like to be Chrysanthemum when I grow up. In the mean time, if someone finds a dress with seven pockets for my secret treasures couldya help a sister out?
April 22, 2014
Chrysanthemum loves her name, her parents picked just the right one...that is, until she goes to school and all the kids laugh at her name and tease her. "She's named after a flower...her name doesn't fit on a nametag...", etc. Chrysanthemum is depressed and disappointed when she gets home from school, but her parents bolster up her self-esteem.
The other kids don't see the light, though, until a very thoughtful, insightful teacher comes to her rescue and saves the day! Chrysanthemum is a great read-aloud for bullying education...since bullying comes in many forms and in many ways. Love the water color illustrations.
The other kids don't see the light, though, until a very thoughtful, insightful teacher comes to her rescue and saves the day! Chrysanthemum is a great read-aloud for bullying education...since bullying comes in many forms and in many ways. Love the water color illustrations.
September 4, 2023
One of my favorite picture books since elementary schools. It tells of a little mouse who starts school and she is teased by her classmates because of her long name, which makes her believe her name is not perfect. It’s a sweet and relatable story about being proud of who you are and not letting others make fun of you for it. To me, everything about “Chrysanthemum” is perfect from its lovely art, incredible story and wonderful lesson. A (100%/Outstanding)
January 26, 2024
Little Chrysanthemum adores her unique name, until she starts school, and other kids make fun of it.
Henkes' books are always a delight, and this is one of his best.
(The third time through I noticed, and had to chuckle over Dad reading books to help poor Chrysanthemum with her problems: The Inner Mouse Vol. 1, Childhood Anxiety, and A Rose By Any Other Name . . . Understanding Identity. Cute!)
Henkes' books are always a delight, and this is one of his best.
(The third time through I noticed, and had to chuckle over Dad reading books to help poor Chrysanthemum with her problems: The Inner Mouse Vol. 1, Childhood Anxiety, and A Rose By Any Other Name . . . Understanding Identity. Cute!)
February 26, 2025
the full spectrum of emotion, including wanting to beat up her bitch ass bullies
July 22, 2025
Some mean girls bully a classmate until she starts to have anxiety and nightmares and wants to stop going to school. And their teacher lets it happen right in the middle of the classroom.
Thank goodness for the intervention of another teacher.
Despite the dark theme, it's such a fun book to read aloud due to its adroit, adept, deft, and nimble use of synonyms. My daughter loved hearing it when she was a tot.
Thank goodness for the intervention of another teacher.
Despite the dark theme, it's such a fun book to read aloud due to its adroit, adept, deft, and nimble use of synonyms. My daughter loved hearing it when she was a tot.
October 5, 2019
"The day she was born was the happiest day in her parents' lives" begins Kevin Henkes' charming picture-book, Chrysanthemum, which addresses itself to the question of identity and difference, and how it feels to be the object of classroom ridicule. Having always loved her name, and believed it to be "absolutely perfect," Chrysanthemum is shocked and dismayed to discover, on the first day of school, that her classmates do not feel the same. Soon the object of a schoolyard taunting campaign, Chrysanthemum is miserable, until a lovely new teacher tells the class her name, and changes everything...
Henkes' mouse tales, from Julius, the Baby of the World to Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse , are always a joy, but Chrysanthemum is undoubtedly my favorite. The author's pitch-perfect depiction of a young girl's initial enthusiasm for school, and her surprise and dismay at the cruelty of her peers, is combined with adorable illustrations that are both colorful and expressive. The accompanying adult humor - Chrysanthemum's worried father takes to reading tomes with titles like The Inner Mouse Vol. 1: Childhood Anxiety and A Rose By Any Other Name...Understanding Identity - will provide some enjoyment for parents as well.
Henkes' mouse tales, from Julius, the Baby of the World to Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse , are always a joy, but Chrysanthemum is undoubtedly my favorite. The author's pitch-perfect depiction of a young girl's initial enthusiasm for school, and her surprise and dismay at the cruelty of her peers, is combined with adorable illustrations that are both colorful and expressive. The accompanying adult humor - Chrysanthemum's worried father takes to reading tomes with titles like The Inner Mouse Vol. 1: Childhood Anxiety and A Rose By Any Other Name...Understanding Identity - will provide some enjoyment for parents as well.
August 7, 2022
counting this one bc my friend read it to his kids on Monday and I was there and it was PERFECT. and also bc I am in a reading slump and SO far behind my goal looool. if I name a child chrysanthemum that will be the reason why. thank u very much and have a nice day.
August 24, 2018
Cute story with a wonderful message. I use it to teach kindness, that it is okay to be different, and to love who you are no matter what others say.
August 27, 2018
Great lesson on self-acceptance and anti-bullying.
January 26, 2014
Chrysanthemum is an award-winning picture book written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. The story is based on a little girl’s journey of dealing with her very unique name. She starts loving her name, until she is teased about it at school. Eventually with the help of her teacher, Chrysanthemum is able proudly love her name again. Chrysanthemum falls into the realistic fiction category, because it is believable and relate-able. This a great book to introduce to a classroom because the emotions that Chrysanthemum experiences can easily relate to each student. This story has a thin disguise for the heavy-handed moral lesson, but it does not take over the story.
This book is recommended for grades K-2. With bullying being such an important issue to address into today’s classrooms, this book is a creative way to introduce the topic to this age group. It would be a great read aloud book because of the entertaining, yet symbolic text, combined with the great illustrations. For younger readers, the illustrations help express Chrysanthemum’s emotions and tell her story. I am somewhat disappointed with the ending of the story. I wish Chrysanthemum would have been the “bigger mouse”. Unfortunately, many times this ending happens in classrooms and helps classify the story into realistic fiction.
Kevin Henkes has written a series of Mouse Books that are all perfect for the classroom. If a student enjoys Chrysanthemum a teacher can introduce the student to the entire series.
This book is recommended for grades K-2. With bullying being such an important issue to address into today’s classrooms, this book is a creative way to introduce the topic to this age group. It would be a great read aloud book because of the entertaining, yet symbolic text, combined with the great illustrations. For younger readers, the illustrations help express Chrysanthemum’s emotions and tell her story. I am somewhat disappointed with the ending of the story. I wish Chrysanthemum would have been the “bigger mouse”. Unfortunately, many times this ending happens in classrooms and helps classify the story into realistic fiction.
Kevin Henkes has written a series of Mouse Books that are all perfect for the classroom. If a student enjoys Chrysanthemum a teacher can introduce the student to the entire series.
March 2, 2013
I'm not in the habit of rating the dozens and dozens of children's books I read to my kids, but I had to review this one. This is a terrible book and I can't figure out why the heck everyone thinks it's so wonderful! Basically, it's about a girl named Chrysanthemum who doesn't like her name, because she gets teased and bullied for it (her friends have 'normal' names). Then, one of her teachers tells Chrysanthemum how much she loves her name and that she wants to name her baby (the teacher is pregnant) Chrysanthemum. Suddenly, Chrysanthemum loves her name because her teacher says it's an awesome name. What kind of message is that?! Yeah, let's teach little girls to evaluate themselves and their feelings of self-worth based on other people! This book doesn't even deserve 1 star. I hope parents look beyond the books popularity and critically think about what it's message is to young kids. It's completely beyond me why this book is on must-read lists for young children.
November 23, 2016
Henkes's repetition of entire sentences every few pages is extremely irritating. The only thing I think is good about this book are the illustrations.
July 9, 2016
If a children's book can be described fairly as "perfect," this is the one.
July 7, 2023
If I ever get a pet mouse, I'm going to name it Delphinium Twinkle
January 28, 2019
Many authors enjoy using different techniques to make the important moments stand out. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes teaches that everyone has something special about them, no matter what. I know this because of Mrs.Twinkles modeling, Chrysanthemums wonderful achievement, and Chrysanthemums parents encouragement. Now, that I know this I can think about what’s the special thing that I have, because Chrysanthemum sure found hers!
November 14, 2024
I was looking for audiobooks that Meryl Streep narrated!
This brought back spooo many memories reading this book to my kids. They all 3 loved it. I would try and do voices, Meryl Streep did it better! And I loved the music along with the narration, it matched the story perfectly
This brought back spooo many memories reading this book to my kids. They all 3 loved it. I would try and do voices, Meryl Streep did it better! And I loved the music along with the narration, it matched the story perfectly
November 22, 2024
Victoria was so mean but there was a lesson learned.
January 27, 2025
Now my kid wants a little sister called chrysanthemum and I told her if anything marigold
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