Customer Reviews

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It is my understanding that "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" is the book that really launched Kevin Henkes from mere picture book drudgery to children's book stardom. Certainly he'd been churning out stories that spoke to kids and their qualms ("Owen", "Chrysanthemum", etc.) Lilly grabbed the world's spotlight and focused it squarely on her cute little shoulders. Though she'd already appeared in two previous Henkesian creations ("Chester's Way" and "Julius, the Baby of the World"), this was Lilly's first foray as a protagonist with her name in the title. As such, the book has been turned into a stage play, been read by millions of small children, and gives spunky kids someone they can identify with and look up to. In short, she's a pip.

Lilly is mightily pleased with her life at the moment. She loves school and she adores her teacher Mr. Slinger. Mr. Slinger (undoubtedly a relation of Miss Twinkle from "Chrysanthemum") is the coolest prof in the world. He wears crazy colored ties, refers to his students as "rodents", provides yummy tasty snacks, and has a penchant for patterned shirts. Lilly is determined to someday be a teacher all thanks to Mr. Slinger. Unfortunately, Lilly's Slinger-love takes a downturn when she brings her new purple plastic purse to class. Noisily displaying it at an inappropriate time, Slinger confiscates the item until the end of the day. In anger, Lilly draws a mean portrait of her teacher and hides it in his book bag. But when the young girl opens her returned purse outside of school, she finds a note reading, "Today was a difficult day. Tomorrow will be better", and some yummy snacks are included. Suddenly wracked with guilt, Lilly decides to make up with her teacher and by the end the two have reconciled joyfully.

Now I was lucky enough to see the Minneapolis Children Theater's production of this particular book (combined with some of Lilly's other adventures to pad it out). And though I'm not a weepy gal by nature, I found myself tearing up during the reading of Mr. Slinger's note to Lilly (i.e. "Tomorrow will be better") as well as when I read the picture book. I don't tear up during children's stage productions and I CERTAINLY don't tear up when reading picture books. Yet here I was, all of 26 years of age, and bawling over the succinct sweetness of Slinger's comforting note. How many books have done this for you recently? How many picture books?

The tale is filled to the brim with the Henkes touches a person expects from his work (be sure to notice the Krazy Kat reference in Lilly's dining room). As per usual there is the comfortable family containing loving parents. And best of all, that wonderful way Henkes has of bringing a happy child to life on the page. No adult reading this book would want to be anyone BUT Mr. Slinger and no child reading it wouldn't want to know him. As for Lilly, she walks the fine line between precocious and precious. And wins. If you're a Henkes fan you won't want to miss this delightful star-making turn. If you're not a Henkes fan, do what you can to cure yourself of this ailment and then immediately read and enjoy this book. It's worth the effort.

This is a book that adults will appreciate as much as children. Pay close attention to all that's happening in the illustrations. You can't help but love Lilly, she means well but like any of us she finds herself in trouble. Mr. Slinger, Lilly's teacher is a hero. This is a must read for all kids. Makes a great gift, look for a purple plastic purse and movie star sunglasses to go a long with it! After reading this book you'll find yourself looking for and falling in love with all of Kevin Henkes' books! Wow! That is all I can say. Wow!

Lilly loved school adn her teacher, Mr. Slinger, very much. Because she loved Mr. Slinger so, Lilly wanted to be a teacher, and she always drew Mr. Slinger pretty pictures. One day Lilly came to school with a new pair of sunglasses, three quarters, and a new purple plastic purse that played music when opened. She could not wait until recess to show the class her new things, and so Mr. Slinger took them away until the end of the day. After that Lilly drew an awful picture of Mr. Slinger and hid it in his bookbag. Mr. Slinger returned Lilly's things and she told him she did not want to be a teacher anymore. Mr. Slinger put a note in Lilly's purse, and this made her feel awful about the way she acted. Lilly drew a nice picture, wrote a story, and apologized to Mr. Slinger. Lilly shared her new purse, glasses, and quarters with the class during share time, and Mr. Slinger danced to the music of her purse. Fabulous book! Note to teachers: This is the perfect book for the first day of kindergarten or first grade to express classroom rules. This is how you can teach your students to wait until the appropriate time to share and play. It also teaches manners and accepting responsibility for your actions. I would definetly use this with primary students to show patience.

This is a popular read-aloud book in our elementary school library. Looking at the other reviews one can conclude it would be entertaining and effective from preschool to the corporate world.

Rarely does an author capture the emotions of children (and adults) as succinctly as Kevin Henkes does here. His playful illustrations of human-like mice carry the story along and make children want to examine every detail.

While entertaining, "Lilly" teaches some valuable lessons about anger and forgiveness. Something our society could use a bit more of.

Lilly is a delightful mouse who is full of charisma. Her thoughts are those that every child has had. She is a free spirit who dresses in red cowboy boots and glamour glasses. Her admiration of her teacher is tarnished when he corrects her. Her sweet revenge is quickly spoiled when she realizes that he isn't the meanie she has thought him to be. Lilly comes alive right off the pages of Henkes book. She is someone who you'd love to have as a playmate for yourself or for your children. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse will bring a smile to anyone who reads it.

A darling book about a little one and some misbehaving due to excitement. Lilly want to share so badly that she is very disruptive to her class. Mr. Slinger, the teacher is patient at first but soon takes action to stop Lilly's behavior. The teacher Lilly once loved becomes a monster she really doesn't like any longer. She even writes him a nasty note. Lilly soon finds out that Mr. Slinger is still her hero. I won't spoil the ending! This is a great read for the first day of school. Students can connect to Lilly. They understand her need for attention and I am sure most students have misbehaved to get that attention. This will start a good discussion about what Lilly could of done instead of being disruptive, what good behavior looks like, and why teachers sometimes have to take things away from students. Also, after Lilly sneaks the teacher the note and Mr. Slinger gives Lilly the purse back, this is a good time to make predictions about what might happen. Furthermore, how would you students deal with the situation Lilly has gotten herself into with this nasty note she wrote. Lots of teaching possibilities with this book.

Kevin Henkes spins a wonderful tale that appeals to many age groups with the fun story of Lilly and her new purse. Lilly loves her teacher and school, but her normally attentive nature is put to the test when she brings her new purse and accessories to class one day. Woven with lessons about the importance of patience, listening, and responsibility, the story is accompanied by colorful and simple illustrations depicting the young mouse Lilly and other characters in ordinary classroom situations every child can relate to. Your children will love reading this with you; you'll have to read every delightful caption. Something in the story will make adults laugh every time they read it too. Very well rounded and enjoyable work.

My 4 year old daughter LOVES this book. Mostly because she can relate to Lily's excitement about her new plastic purse that plays a "jaunty tune", her glittery movie-star sunglasses, and her jingly coins. I love it because it offers so many little lesson to discuss along the way. We talk about how Lily could've handled things better. We talk about why the pictures show her getting smaller and smaller (she feels remorse for her actions). We talk about how telling her parents what she had done was a great decision because they were able to help her correct her mistake. And, we talk about what to expect at school and how to have good manners, respect, etc. Lily is such a loveable character, and so much like my daughter that it's just natural that we both love her and this book so much! A must have for all pre-school/early school aged girls!

I babysit all of the time so I am always looking for great books to read to the kids. This book I read to myself. It is so funny and I love how Lilly is so ostentatious with her purse. She is exactly like I was at that age and I love the message of not impulsively taking revenge on someone before simmering down. I recommend this book to everyone and I promise you will love it! I even named my Hamster after Lilly.

I've heard that the best books, movies, etc, are those that appeal to all ages, and if this is true, then this book is THE BEST! At our library, I've seen a group of moms huddled around this book giggling while their children (not so) patiently awaited their turn to look! Pay close attention to all the illustrations; you don't want to miss a single word that Lilly has to say! She will become your friend so be ready to laugh and cry alongside her.