A Bargain for Frances (I Can Read Book 2) [Paperback]

Russell Hoban (Author), Lillian Hoban (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: I Can Read Book 2

Frances and Thelma are friends -- most of the time

Thelma always seems to get Frances into trouble. When she tricks Frances into buying her tea set, it's the last straw. Can Frances show her that it's better to lose a bargain than lose a friend?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Trustful badger Frances triumphs in her I Can Read debut, to the chagrin of out-maneuvered Thelma and the accompaniment of some of her best songs: "Careful once, careful twice,/ Being careful isn't nice./ Being friends is better." Her mother had warned her that "when you play with Thelma you always get the worst of it," but Frances' resolve to save for a real china tea set yields to Thelma's dire tale of "another girl who saved up for that tea set. . . So maybe you won't get one." So maybe she'd better buy Thelma's plastic one with her two dollars and seventeen cents. . . and "No backsies." But little sister Gloria's friend got the very set Frances wanted at the candy store yesterday, and showed it to Thelma - who is next seen, by a crushed Frances, purchasing one with Frances' savings. "Now that plastic's what I've got/ Backsies are what there is not./ Mother told me to be careful,/ But Thelma better bewareful." Of one of the oldest tricks in any book, the decoy coin. A contretemps that bespeaks an older Frances as befits the older audience and will keep any audience in stitches - it's that funny line after line. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Russell Hoban is the author of more than 20 books for children and adults. He is perhaps best known for his character Frances the badger, featured in A Bargain for Frances, A Baby Sister for Frances, Best Friends for Frances, A Birthday for Frances, and Bread and Jam for Frances, all illustrated by Lillian Hoban. He also wrote Bedtime for Frances, illustrated by Garth Williams, and the modern classic The Mouse and His Child. He passed away at the age of 86 in 2011.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Revised edition (April 24, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006444001X
• ISBN-13: 978-0064440011
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( H ) > Hoban, Lillian
  • #22 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Mammals > Fiction
  • #47 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Mammals

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finest I Can Read Book Ever, July 16, 2002

By 

Becca Hudson (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bargain for Frances (I Can Read Book 2) (Paperback)

Despite its unlikely-looking cover, this is perhaps the finest I Can Read Book ever written. I had no idea it was a treasure when one of the kids grabbed it off the shelf at the local library. Written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban, it hilariously tells the story of a sweet and trusting little racoon who keeps getting the short end of the stick from a certain playmate.

When that playmate swindles her out of her savings, Frances doesn't go home and lick her wounds. No sir. She devises an ingenious plan to set matters straight and re-establishes the friendship on a more equitably basis.

Moms, if people tend to take advantage of your child (or someone else you know), this is a must-have book. Frances' resolution of the problem still thrills and inspires me every time I read it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TIMELESS TREASURE, April 5, 2000

By 

RONDA G WAGNER (GRESHAM, OREGON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bargain For Frances (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

THIS BOOK IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE! IT IS SO NICE TO SEE IT STILL IN PRINT. IF YOU HAVEN'T SHARED IT WITH YOUR DAUGHTER (S), GET A COPY AND DO SO. MY TIMELESS CLASSIC IS 34 YEARS OLD AND IT IS STILL AS HUMOROUS NOW AS IT WAS THEN. MY MOTHER AND SISTER AND I STILL FONDLY REFER TO ICE CREAM AS q-p-m.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rather enlightening!, January 26, 2002

By 

Jane James "homeschoolmum" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bargain for Frances Book and Tape (I Can Read Book 2) (Audio Cassette)

I like this book, because it's written for a young child to read herself . My kids are able to read this one by the time they are 7, which is nice. It has a lot of pages, lots of story to it - which is hard to find in books that are written at the young reader's level.

What really surprised me about this book is that it addresses what happens when one has a friend that isn't very nice, and it really went into the situation in detail. The heroine of the story didn't become a martyr, and neither did she just turn her back on her friend altogether.

When my daughter first read this book, she'd had some bad experiences with a friend - who is remarkably like Thelma, Frances's friend. I thought it was a nice tool for us - we discussed how sometimes a friend might not be very nice, and what the options are in dealing with this type of situation.

This is a very good early reader for girls and a nice story for any girl who has a friend they really can't trust. (Although I don't believe every similar real-life situation is handled so simply!)