Wemberly Worried

Wemberly is a mouse who worries about everything. She worries all the time! Her family tries to reassure her, but it doesn't really help. She worries about being the only butterfly at Halloween, but only after she worried about their being too many. She worries about her doll petal when it is getting cleaned. She is mostly worried about going to school. The author/illustrator uses an entire page of worries without illustrations to show how worried she is. When she gets to school, Wemberly's teacher introduces her to another little girl who is wearing stripes and has a doll that she rubs its nose when she is worried. Having a friend helps Wemberly lose some of her fear. I like this book because it is easy to forget that our students have worries. Some of them have worries that we can't even imagine.
Henkes, K. (2000) Wemberly Worried. Greenwillow Books: New York.

Lilly's Big Day

The second Lilly book continues with Lilly's fascination with her teacher Mr. Slinger. This time Lilly wants to be his flower girl; however, he already has a flower girl. So, Lilly gets to be the flower girl's assistant and saves the day when the real flower girl freezes! This book teaches perseverance to children. When they don't get what they want, they need to keep trying and working toward their goals.
Henkes, K. (2006) Lilly's Big Day. HarperCollins :New York

Owen

Another mouse book written by Kevin Henkes, Owen, tells the story of a young mouse that won't part with his blankie. The characters in this book are humorous and quirky like the neighbor that keeps offering advice for Owen's parents. This is a book for any child that had something he or she didn't want to give up as they grew out of it. I love how the parents keep adapting and trying new ways to get Owen to give up the blanket.

Henkes, K. (1993) Owen. New York: Scholastic.

A Weekend with Wendell

Wendell is a mouse that wants to be the boss all the time. Sophie has to put up with him while his parents are away. He bosses her around the entire visit until Sophie decides to stand up to Wendell and they become friends. The illustrations add a lot to the text of this picture book. It is a fun read-aloud for all ages!

Henkes, K. (1986). A Weekend with Wendell. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Lilly is a mouse that loves her teacher. One day she brings her new purple purse to show everyone, but Mr. Slinger tells her to put it away! Lilly doesn't listen and Mr. Slinger takes her purse away until the end of the day. The rest of the story is about how Lilly fixes her relationship with her teacher. I think this story shows the excitement of children and how sometimes they get so excited that they can't control themselves, but in the end most teachers understand.


Henkes, K. (1996). Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. New York: HarperCollins.