''Chrysanthemum'' is a 1991 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Kevin Henkes. ''Chrysanthemum'' was chosen as an

ALA Notable Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...

and the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and it is on the Horn Book Fanfare Honor List. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by '' School Library Journal''.

Summary

Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center ...

is a young mouse who loves her unique name until she is teased about it by her classmates. Her main tormentors are three girls named Jo, Rita, and Victoria, who ridicule her for being named after a flower and point out that her name is so long it barely fits on a name tag. Chrysanthemum expresses her sadness to her parents, who comfort her with her favorite meals and a game of Parcheesi while her father secretly reads a book on child psychology. One day, her class gets a new music teacher named Ms. Twinkle to help them with an upcoming musical. Chrysanthemum is assigned to be a daisy, which makes Jo, Rita and Victoria tease her once again. Ms. Twinkle confronts them, and reveals that her first name, Delphinium, is also long and inspired by a flower. The three apologize to her, and Chrysanthemum’s confidence in her name is restored. Later, Ms. Twinkle gives birth to a daughter, whom she names Chrysanthemum.

Adaptions

In 1998 Weston Woods developed an animated story based on the book's illustrations, which was narrated by Meryl Streep. In 2002 it was produced by Newvideo and

Scholastic Scholastic may refer to: * a philosopher or theologian in the tradition of scholasticism * ''Scholastic'' (Notre Dame publication) * Scholastic Corporation, an American publishing company of educational materials * Scholastic Building, in New Y ...

and bundled with 5 other animated stories on a "Scholastic Storybook Treasures" DVD.

In popular culture

*The book was featured in an episode of ''

Kino's Storytime ''Kino's Storytime'', also known as ''Storytime'', is an American children's reading television program which aired on PBS from October 12, 1992 until September 1, 1997. It was produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California. It was available on VHS ...

'' and was read by Paula Poundstone.

References

1991 children's books American children's books American picture books Books about mice and rats Greenwillow Books books {{child-picture-book-stub