Friday, February 8, 2008

Lilly's Big Day


Title: Lilly’s Big Day
Author/Illustrator: Henkes, Kevin
Publisher and Date: Greenwillow Books, 2006
Genre: Picture Book, Animal Fantasy
Age Range: K-2

Summary: Lilly is back and in this book she has another plan up her sleeve. Mr. Slinger, her favorite teacher in the world has just decided that he is going to marry the school nurse, Mrs. Shotwell, and Lilly is determined that is going to be the flower girl! Lilly practices and practices, and drops not so subtle hints to Mr. Slinger about wanting to be his flower girl. Mr. Slinger finally pulls Lily aside and informs her that unfortunately his niece, Ginger, is going to be the flower girl, but that she can have the super important extra special job of being the flower girl’s assistant. Lilly tries to make the best of her role and on the big day she gets the surprise of her life! Ginger, the real flower girl, is too scared to walk down the aisle so Lilly picks her up and carries her down. Lilly achieves her dream, saves the big day, and gains new friend in the process!

Response: This is such a great book! It contains so many valuable lessons for children. One is to have a good attitude about every situation. Lilly was very disappointed that she did not get to be the flower girl, but she made the best of her situation and in the end she was rewarded. Another great lesson is to be open to new opportunities. Lilly was uncertain about how she would feel about the actual flower girl, Ginger, but in the end they became best friends. A great lesson for adults is to be sensitive to children’s needs. Mr. Slinger knew how disappointed Lilly was not to be able to be the flower girl, but he gave her an important job to make her feel just as special and needed. Just like its prequel, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, the illustrations made the reader laugh and learn. They were so expressive that the reader feels like they in the story. One of my favorite pages on the story is when Lilly prances back and forth practicing her flower girl walk. The reader really gets a sense of her excitement and determination.
There is a great quote in the book jacket of Lilly's Big Day that I wanted to share: " In all children's literature there is just a handful of characters we think of as family-Madeline, Winnie the Pooh, and Charolette come to mind-and when the young generation is old enough to reflect on the ones it loved, Lilly will probably lead the pack."-The New York Times Book Review This quote is so true! Lilly is such a fun, memorable that she will be talked about for generations to come!

Teaching Ideas: This is a great book to read to kids any time of the day. You could read it during free time or at the end of the day. It is a fun story that will have kids laughing and learning all in one! This would even be a great book to read for older elementary school children (2nd and up). You could read the story to them and have them write a short story about a time when something unexpected happened to them. It's a fun way to help them practice creative writing.

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