#safeandcaringclassroom

Chrysanthemum

Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Published in 2008 by Mulberry Books

ISBN: 0688147321

Grades: K - 3

  Chrysanthemum thought that her name was absolutely perfect…until she started Kindergarten. Her classmates giggle when they hear her name read aloud. Some even note that her name is 13 letters long, which is half the letters in the alphabet and that she was named after a flower. Chrysanthemum’s parents try their hardest to cheer her up and reassure her that her name is absolutely perfect, but it doesn’t work. Finally, Mrs. Twinkle, the music teacher, puts a stop to the teasing when she tells her students that she’s also named after a flower and if she has a baby girl, she’s going to name her Chrysanthemum. The students in the class quickly turn their actions around and grow to love Chrysanthemum’s name, which makes her feel much better about herself and about school.

  Reflection: 

Kevin Henkes has always been one of my favorite authors because he writes about real life occurrences through made up mice characters. Children of all ages can connect with the characters and the hardships that they deal with. Chrysanthemum is no exception; many students have been teased by their classmates before about their names, their clothing, or for some other reason. This is a great book to read on the first day of school because it allows for children to see that they shouldn’t make fun of others because they’re different. Instead, they should welcome and celebrate each other’s differences. As a child, I didn’t like my name because it was different. However, now that I’m older, I enjoy that my name is different than the people that I know. It’s important that children value their differences and recognize that they’re special no matter what.

  Classroom Applications: 

What’s Your Name?: For children in younger grades, they can practice writing their names and counting the number of letters. For children in older grades, they can research the meaning of their names and ask their parents why they chose the name that they did for them.

Companion Text: Read The Name Jar by Yankgsook Choi with your students. How are Chrysanthemum and Unhei similar? How are they different?

Bucket Fillers: Teach your students about being “bucket fillers” and “bucket dippers” and discuss how students can fill the buckets of their classmates. Being “bucket fillers” can help to create a safe and caring classroom!

Teachers…Think About It: As teachers, it’s important that we build caring classroom communities. How is your classroom environment caring and safe for students? What could you do to create an even more caring and safe environment? How do you foster differences in your classroom!