Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

This was a very cute story. Lilly was infatuated with her teacher. She thought he was the greatest. She wanted to be a teacher like him when she grew up. She pretended to be him at home, and she even bought a chain for her glasses just like his. Then the unthinkable happened. She had brought something very special to school and wanted to show everyone. Her teacher asked her to wait. She could not. She finally could not handle it and did not listen to her teacher. This caused some trouble and tension between the two of them. She was very very sad because she had really liked her teacher before. The best part is how her family helps her overcome this difficulty and she learns to apologize and to listen.

Kevin Henkes does it again, and again, and again. His characters are surprisingly well-developed given the short space a picture book allows. One way he accomplishes this is by having multiple illustrations per page and making masterful use of the white space. In this book, some pages have as many as nine illustrations. Lilly is so well drawn, she has a whole range of expressions and moves through them as quickly as most young children. The story is lovely, and the illustrations really bring it to life. There is so much to see and discover on every page. The detail in the drawings is remarkable; really, the range of expression Henkes can communicate just by adjusting the way he draws an eye, amazing. Lilly mouse would be a fun gal to have around.