Chrysanthemum loves her name-until she starts school. The kids make fun of her. She doesn't know what to do. She enlists the help of her teacher, and in the end, everything turns out just fine.

Book level 3. This story begins with the birth of Chrysanthemum. When she is born her parents think she is perfect and decide to give her a perfect name, Chrysanthemum. It seems her father likes to use “big words’ throughout the book and perhaps that is why he felt it was the perfect name for his new little girl. The little mouse loves the way her name sounds when her mom wakes her up. She also likes the way it looks when she writes it and when it is on an envelope. When Chrysanthemum is old enough she goes to school and is confronted with a lot of new feelings about her name. She is the only student with a long name and one that is named after a flower so she get a lot of teasing every day. She becomes sad and doesn’t want to go to school anymore because of how the children are treating her. Then her teacher saves the day and tells the students she likes her name and that her own name was also a flower. Then all the students love Chrysanthemum’s name and wish their own names were taken from the names of flowers. After reading the book Chrysanthemum I want you to give many, varied single words to describe someone’s/something’s feelings to complete the following sentence. I feel __________ when________________ because_____________________. Using as many different feelings as you can think of. Create a picture below each blank that shows your feeling, the event that caused the feeling and why it made you feel that way. Put the pages together and make your very own feelings book. ( )

This is one of my favorite books that I read! I thought it was so cute, and had a great message to children! ( )

Chrysanthemum grows up believing that her name is just absolutely perfect! Until one dreadful day, when Chrysanthemum begins kindergarden. The other children tease her because her name is so unsual and long! Chrysanthemum begins to hate her name and going to school everyday. Kevin Henkes makes the reader feel Chrysanthemum's pain as she is teased daily for her name. The reading level for this book is 3.3. This is the perfect story for children about excepting those that different from others. For more about this author, parents and teachers should visit www.kevinhenkes.com.

I absolutely loved this book. What a great book about a little girl who has trouble with her extremely long name. It's such a cute book that I think many kids would enjoy that are having trouble in school. This is so sweet since at the very end the teacher tells the main character how much she loves her name and how she loves how it is so different. This is a great book and I know that I will own a copy of this book in my classroom library.
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