Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, By Kevin Henkes

Book Genre: Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, August 1996

Summary:

Lilly, a gorgeous mouse, is an over the top and enthusiastic student. She adores her teacher and wants to be just like him. She tries her very best to impress Mr. Slinger with her desire to be unique and stand out; however, her willingness to stand out gets her in a little bit of a dilemma. Lilly brought a new purple plastic purse full of “diva like” accessories to show to the class. Mr. Slinger asked her to be patient and wait for show and tell before she shared her most valuable possessions. Lilly could not wait any longer and disrupted her class with her show and tell. Mr. Slinger made Lilly face the consequences for her actions. Lilly was not pleased with Mr. Slinger’s decision to punish her. She retaliated and then began to feel remorseful for her ugly behavior. In the end Lilly learned the true value of forgiveness.


Personal Rating, ***Good, The illustrations are light-hearted and cute. The overall theme is expressed with kindness and love. The text is kid-friendly.

Reading Level: 3 grade (A.R. Level 3.1)

Interest Level: K-2

Possible uses of the text in integrated units of study:

The text would be fantastic to use with a guidance lesson on character building; therefore, teaching students about consequences, appropriate behaviors, and using manners. For a reading lesson you could discuss the adjectives that were used to describe Lilly and Mr. Slinger. Set up your very own Lightbulb Lab in your classroom where students could write their own stories about when they asked for forgiveness.

Potential Problems or Difficulties: I could not find any potential problems or difficulties.