Chrysanthemum

By: Kevin Henkes

I can't seem to recall which children's show it was, but I first heard this book read on some PBS show. Reading Rainbow, perhaps? All I know is that when I saw it in the last Scholastic order I placed I knew I had to have it. It is one of those books that just instantly takes me back to a time and place when life was uncomplicated and care-free. I don't know that I love the story so much as I do the feeling and emotions that are tied to reading this book for me. Even so, it is a really fun read with vivid pictures and a lesson to be learned. 

Chrysanthemum thinks she has the loveliest name ever. That is until she goes to her first day of school and all the kids in her class tell her otherwise. She finds it hard to make friends and begins to feel down on herself. Then, a special someone comes along and makes all the difference in the world. Chrysanthemum goes back to thinking she is something special and her classmates soon begin to realize the same.