Lilly's Big Day (Hardcover)

by Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator) "One day Lilly's teacher, Mr. Slinger, announced to the class that he was going to marry Ms. Shotwell, the school nurse..." (more)
Key Phrases: biggest day, flower girl

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-When her teacher, Mr. Slinger, announces that he is going to marry Ms. Shotwell, the school nurse, the indomitable Lilly takes her role as flower girl at their wedding for granted. Of course, he hasn't asked her-yet-but the young mouse commences practicing her very slow walk, eyebrows raised, hands in front grasping her imaginary bouquet. Her parents give her reasons why her plan might go awry. Do you understand-¦? they ask. I understand that I'm going to be a flower girl, she responds. At school, she writes Mr. Slinger a note, declaring herself The World's Best and Most Famous Flower Girl. He finally persuades her to be an assistant to his niece, and Lilly rises to the rescue in a surprise twist that satisfies everybody. Henkes's familiar watercolor cartoons elaborate on the witty text. The desperate looks on Lilly's parents' and Mr. Slinger's faces are priceless. Full-page vignettes depict the little protagonist proudly practicing her flower-girl walk, which is eventually taken up by all the wedding guests at the reception. Adults will especially enjoy the shopping scene in which the sales lady pronounces Lilly adorable and her Granny silently quips, in small doses. But big doses of this feisty rodent will suit her many fans just fine.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Pres-K. Lilly returns to some wonderful news: her beloved teacher, Mr. Slinger, is getting married. "It will be the biggest day of my life," he says. "Mine, too," whispers Lilly, who has always wanted to be a flower girl. Lilly, in cowboy boots and boa, marches around the next spread in many and varied poses--smiling brightly, looking demure, eyebrows raised, always with her hands in front of her, carrying an imaginary small bouquet. Lilly tells her parents that she's going to be Mr. Slinger's flower girl, but they inform her that since he hasn't asked her, that probably won't happen. Sure enough, some niece named Ginger has been tapped for the role, which makes Lilly both sad and mad. Mr. Slinger tries to smooth the situation by appointing Lilly Ginger's assistant, a not entirely satisfactory compromise until Lilly finds a way to share the spotlight. As in the previous books about Lilly, Henkes catches the hopes and dreams of children along with their stubborn belief that the world will turn the way they push it. And though Henkes mines no new ground artistically, he provides so many clever, captivating touches in each scene, there's always something new to look at. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060742364
• ISBN-13: 978-0060742362
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,460 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slinger Shotguns Shotwell, December 13, 2006

By	My Uncle Stu (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

An instant classic!

Henke does it again, great book. Henke creates very real characters who grapple with emotions about as intense as I've seen for this format. In Lilly's perfect day, her teacher, Mr. Slinger, in an act of naked nepotism, elevates his own niece to the role of flower girl. This despite the inordinate amount of energy Lilly has put towards practicing for the event, the proficiency with which she has rehearsed every precocious countenance, the inestimable classroom bragging rights with which she fixates her anticipation. This mouse is due her fate, and only the venal world of adult institutions could deny her.

No one can quite bring themselves to be direct her Lilly. "Do you understand what we are trying to tell you?" they ask. How can a child honestly answer that question? How can a parent honestly interpret a child's answer to that question. My stomach was in a knot for Lilly. I knew this was a Henke book, I knew it had to have a happy ending. But how could Lilly's youthful, brittle narcissism possibly absorb the onslaught of such a sleight? I wouldn't dream of ruining the ending here, but I will provide a little hint by saying that a baby mouse dose of propanolol would have gone a long way. But even the villainous niece's feelings are spared, as Henke ties up all the strands as only he can. Thumbs up for Henkes! And go Bears!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a delight!, November 4, 2006

By	Linda J. Perlis "Linda Perlis" (Potomac, Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Our little granddaughter was preparing to be a "flower girl" at the age of 2!
So reading this to her for a couple of weeks ahead of time was such
a good idea -- and so helpful.
We substituted the names of our own family members where we could,
and ad-libbed into the book as needed.
She loved it!
AND she marched down that aisle with her little basket of flowers
with such purpose! It was a very exciting time -- the book was enormously
helpful.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Wait, April 5, 2006

By	Barbara J. French "mom2donnyandmeghan" (Cortlandt Manor, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My 4 year old daughter adores all of Kevin Henkes' books, especially the Lilly ones. I had to refrain from telling her that there was a new one coming out until I finally had it in my hands. I must confess, though, that even though I pre-ordered the book back in January, Amazon didn't deliver when originally promised...so the wait was a bit longer.

The book is worth the wait. Splendidly illustrated it teaches a wonderful lesson in coping with something that doesn't go quite according to the way Lilly dreams it will go.

I'm not sure who enjoys this book more my daughter or her mommy. It is sure to be a classic. Thanks Mr. Henkes for continuing the Lilly series.