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Book Activities
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
Published: 1982
A little mouse thinks her name is absolutely perfect until she starts school and all the kids make fun of her.
Other Books by the Author
Owen, A Weekend with Wendell, Kitten's First Full Moon, Jessica, Lilly's Big Day
Read
 Preview the book with your child. Explain that it is a story about a little girl mouse with a very long name who is made fun of by the other children.
Do
 In this story, Chrysanthemum is feeling very sad until Mrs. Twinkle, the music teacher, saves the day. Has your teacher ever helped you at school when you were feeling sad or mad?
How many letters are in your name? Is there more than one way to spell your name? Are there any nicknames for your name? What do you like about your name?
Ask your parent why the gave you your name. Was it a family name or a name your parents liked?
Find out what your name means from a baby name book or the internet.
Write your name in the middle of a piece of paper. Now draw pictures of things you like to do around your name.
In this story, the other children make fun of Chrysanthemum because of her name. Have you ever been made fun of? How did it make you feel? Have you ever made fun of somebody else? How do you think it made them feel?
View
 When you see this symbol, you can watch an online video. You will need RealPlayer to view video.
Caldecott Newbery Series
Owen by Kevin Henkes
The story of Owen and his attachment to his yellow blanket. 1994 Caldecott Honor Book (8:59 min.) >> View
Families, Feelings, and Friendship
 Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
A little mouse thinks her name is absolutely perfect until she starts school and all the kids make fun of her. Narrated by Meryl Streep. (14:34 min.) >> View
Weekend with Wendell by Kevin Henkes
Three cheers for compromise as quiet as a mouse Sophie learns to assert herself with bossy, big-mouthed Wendell. Narrated by Mary Beth Hurt. (10:20 min.) >> View
Arthur
Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn/Arthur's Spelling Trubble (Show 102)
Arthur and the gang are dismayed when they're assigned to Mr. Ratburn's third grade classroom. When Arthur and Buster do a little detective work, however, they learn some surprising things about their new teacher. The all-school spellathon is coming up, and Arthur and the Brain are representing their class. The Brain thinks he's prepared, but Arthur isn't so sure he's ready. Related Activities: Trying New Things / My Name Starts with...
My Club Rules/Stolen Bike (Show 129)
Arthur starts a club, and no one can agree on the rules. Everyone then decides to start their own club, but what's a club without members? Francine's embarrassed by her crummy old bike and wants a shiny new one like all her friends. When the teasing gets to be too much, Francine does the only thing she can -- she lets her bike get "stolen." Related Activities: Handshakes / Bicycle Makeover
D.W.'s Name Game/Finders Key-pers (Show 219)
What's in a name? A lot of hurt feelings, sometimes. At least that's what D.W. and Arthur discover when their efforts to insult each other get out of control. Although the contest improves their vocabulary, the endless name-calling becomes, well, deleterious. In the second story, Arthur, Brain, and Binky find a key-but to what? The city? The new science museum? A brand new sports car? And which of them will get to keep whatever fabulous thing they find!? When they decide to split it 50-50-50 the trouble really begins! Related Activities: Lend a Hand / Share Tactics
Vomitrocious!/Sue Ellen Chickens Out (Show 805)
It's just a regular day until Francine starts to feel queasy ... and then throws up in the cafeteria!! Now Francine is afraid to go back to school. Won't the kids all laugh and call her - ugh! - "Barfine"? / Sue Ellen learns that a fast-food chain is taking over the beloved Sugarbowl, so she rallies the gang to stage a protest. But when the kids confess that they actually like the food at Chickin Lickin, Sue Ellen worries - will she have to fight the mighty empire of Beaurigaard Poulet all by herself? Related Activities: Teasing Is Tough / Sue Ellen's Travel Tales
Websites
Behind the Name
Find the meaning behind your name.
Baby Names
Learn more about names.
Baby Names World
More name meanings.
Name Voyager
Get a graph that shows the popularity of your name from the 1880s through today.
Popular Baby Names
Find out what the top 20 baby names were for any year after 1879.
U.S. Surname Distribution
See how your surname was distributed across the U.S. in 1850, 1880, 1920, and 1990.
Other Titles
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi (2001)
After Unhei moves from Korea to the United States, her new classmates help her decide what her name should be.
My Name Is Yoon by Helen Recorvits and Gabi Swiatkowska (2003)
Disliking her name as written in English, Korean-born Yoon, or "shining wisdom," refers to herself as "cat," "bird," and "cupcake," as a way to feel more comfortable in her new school and new country.
Mommy Doesn't Know My Name by Suzanne Williams; illustrated by Andrew Shachat (1996)
Mommy calls Hannah all sorts of names except her own, leaving Hannah to wonder if Mommy really does know who she is.
The Name Quilt by Phyllis Root; illustrated by Margot Apple (2003) One of Sadie's favorite things to do when she visits her grandmother is to hear stories about the family members whose names are on a special quilt that Grandma had made, so Sadie is very sad when the quilt is blown away in a storm.
A Perfect Name
by Charlene Costanza: illustrated by LeUyen Pham (2002)
Mama and Papa Potamus try out many different names for their newborn daughter before finding just the right one in time for her naming ceremony.
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