Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
by Kevin Henkes
Lilly loves all sorts of things. But when Lilly brings her purple plastic purse to school and can't wait until sharing time to show off the purse and her movie star sunglasses her teacher Mr. Slinger has to take away her prized possessions. Lilly's anger leads her to draw a mean picture of her favorite teacher. How do Lilly and Mr. Slinger make amends?
Reading Tips for Story Explorers
Find a comfortable space to read together
Slow down and enjoy the illustrations
Ask and answer questions together
Make reading part of your routine - bedtime is a great time for reading
Use these prompts to encourage deeper thinking with your children:
"Tell me more, why do you think that?"
"How do you know that?"
"Interesting, did you notice anything else?"
Phonemic Awareness
When introducing the book, share the title and notice these phonemic elements:
The words “Purple,” “Plastic,” and “Purse” in the title ends with the letter Pp. This letter says /p/, like puppy and pot. Point to the letters and say the sound together: /p/, /p/, /p/. Brainstorm other words that begin with the sound /p/ with your child (park, penguin, pump).
Ask the children to say the word after you. Show them the cover of the book and have them read the word out loud with you as you point under each word.
Vocabulary
Artistic: Showing skill and imagination in creating
Permitted: Allowed
Jaunty: Having a light manner; lively and confident
Considerate: Thoughtful of the feelings and needs of others
Amused: Entertained
Lurched: A sudden jerk or unsteady movement
Furious: Full of anger
Questions to Discuss
What does Lilly love about school? What do you love about school?
How does Lilly feel when she takes her new purse and sunglasses to school?
Why do you think Mr. Slinger wanted Lilly to wait to show her friends her purse? Was Mr. Slinger right in making Lilly wait? Why or why not?
Why did Mr. Slinger take Lilly’s purse away? What would you have done if you were Mr. Slinger?
How did Lilly feel when Mr. Slinger took her purse? Have you ever gotten in trouble? How does it make you feel?
Why did Lilly choose to apologize to Mr. Slinger?
How does Mr. Slinger respond to Lilly’s apology?
Think about a time that you have apologized. Why did you apologize? What was the reaction of the person you apologized to? How did you feel after you apologized?
Let's Play
This activity will help your child learn to retell stories and sequence events in books.
Cut a piece of paper into 6 squares and draw a face representing the following emotions on the squares: excited, proud, angry, sad, sorry, happy. Explain each emotion to your child and work with your child to remember when Lilly felt each emotion. Mix the emotion cards and show them to your child. Work with your child to put the emotion cards in the order they occurred in the book. Was Lilly happy at the beginning or end of the story? When have you felt happy?
