May 2011 Book Club Selection
In contracted braille
Ages 4-8
Lilly the mouse loves everything about school - even the squeaky chalk and the cafeteria food. But most of all, she idolizes her teacher, Mr. Slinger, who wears hip clothes and greets Lilly's artistic achievements with an impressed, "Wow!" When she comes to school flaunting three jingly quarters, movie-star glasses and a purple plastic purse that plays a jaunty tune when opened, she interrupts Mr. Slinger's lessons on "Types of Cheese" and words that rhyme with "mice." After one too many disruptions, he confiscates the purse for the rest of the day. Lilly, humiliated, takes revenge by slipping a mean drawing into Mr. Slinger's book bag - only to open her purse and find a kind note from her hero. She's filled with remorse and has to find a way to make things right again.
Caldecott honoree Henkes understands the roller-coaster emotions of small children. He conveys Lilly's enthusiasm for her prize possessions, but astutely shows that Lilly goes too far when she acts up in class. He offers useful, timeless advice for apologizing to a friend and resolving a conflict. |
