Chrysanthemum

Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemu. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1991

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is a children’s fantasy where the main character, a mouse named Chrysanthemum, deals with bullying, self doubt, and issues of self-esteem. Before attending school, Chrysanthemum was fond of her name. However, on the first day of school, Chrysanthemum faces the relentless teasing and bullying by her peers. Her classmates giggle when her name is called during role. They poke fun at her name because “it scarcely fits on her nametag” and because it’s the name of a flower. The main bully is Victoria. Chrysanthemum starts to loathe her name and school. Instead of being proud and loving her unique name, Chrysanthemum wishes she had a “normal” name like her peers. The bullying continues until the students attend music class and learn that their music teacher is also named after a flower. This makes all the students to envy Chrysanthemum’s name, and the teasing stops.

The setting of the book takes place mostly in Chrysanthemum’s house and at school. The illustrations are brightly colored with fun details that are appropriate for the age group this book is targeted towards. Chrysanthemum’s dad is shown reading books about “childhood anxiety” and “understanding identity” after hearing about her day at school. The illustrations show facial features of Chrysanthemum as she’s being bullied, so the reader can tell she’s hurt. There’s a major contrast in her expression after the bullying stops. The pictures go hand in hand with the text so it is easy for young readers to follow along.