Lilly's Big Day

An instant classic! Henke does it again, great book. Henke creates very real characters who grapple with emotions about as intense as I've seen for this format. In Lilly's perfect day, her teacher, Mr. Slinger, in an act of naked nepotism, elevates his own niece to the role of flower girl. This despite the inordinate amount of energy Lilly has put towards practicing for the event, the proficiency with which she has rehearsed every precocious countenance, the inestimable classroom bragging rights with which she fixates her anticipation. This mouse is due her fate, and only the venal world of adult institutions could deny her. No one can quite bring themselves to be direct her Lilly. "Do you understand what we are trying to tell you?" they ask. How can a child honestly answer that question? How can a parent honestly interpret a child's answer to that question. My stomach was in a knot for Lilly. I knew this was a Henke book, I knew it had to have a happy ending. But how could Lilly's youthful, brittle narcissism possibly absorb the onslaught of such a sleight? I wouldn't dream of ruining the ending here, but I will provide a little hint by saying that a baby mouse dose of propanolol would have gone a long way. But even the villainous niece's feelings are spared, as Henke ties up all the strands as only he can. Thumbs up for Henkes! And go Bears!

I love the Lilly books, as do my granddaughters. She's cute and sassy, and one of my favorite Henkes characters. Enjoy!

Sweet Lilly is back with another adventure for her fans. This time, she's convinced she'll be the flower girl when her teacher announces he'll be marrying the school nurse. Lilly practices and practices. "It will be the biggest day of my life," she says. But when her teacher says he's already picked his niece Ginger to be the flower girl, Lilly's heart is broken. Her teacher doesn't want to let Lilly down, though, so he lets her be Ginger's assistant. Lilly's still disappointed but she takes her new role as a flower girl assistant very seriously and brags to everyone how important assistants are in a wedding. Once it sinks in that she won't be the one walking down the aisle and carrying the flowers while everyone watches, she takes one more shot at trying to be the number one flower girl by asking over and over again if Ginger is really sure she wants to fulfill her role. Ginger is convinced she's walking down that aisle. Until it's time for her to go, of course. Ginger completely freezes and can't move. Only Lilly knows what to do. All her flower girl practice pays off as she prances down the aisle carrying Ginger, smiling brightly and hearing everyone clap when she makes it to where her teacher is standing waiting on his bride. "I knew this would be the biggest day of my life!" she says. Lilly's Big Day is geared to the 4-8 reader level but it's also a good book to sit and enjoy with younger children. The story is an easy read for budding readers and author and illustrator Kevin Henkes took no shortcuts with his beautiful illustrations. Many pages even have multiple illustrations of Lilly in action. Lilly learns patience and teamwork during her adventure. She forms a special friendship with Ginger, the girl she envied just days before. The overall story is both a good lesson and a fun read for children.

When I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota I had the unique privilege of getting to see the city's world-renowned children's theater perform a play based on three of Kevin Henkes' Lilly books. The show began with "Chester's Way", continued with "Julius, Baby of the World" and ended with "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" (which is rightly considered a classic to this day). I loved the show, but now I have a regret. If only if only "Lilly's Big Day" could have been a part of the proceedings. Reading it now it's clear that Henkes still has his finger planted firmly on the pulse of the Lillyverse. As Lilly's grandmother points out, her granddaughter is adorable, "in small doses". Our heroine is just as bold, brash, and single-minded as ever. And as with every one of her adventures, all turns out well in the end. Big news, people. Big big news. Mr. Slinger, the nicest teacher a kid like Lilly ever had, is getting married. And you know what THAT means? A wedding. And do you know what a wedding means? It means that somebody is going to be the flower girl, and Lilly has a pretty good idea of who exactly that should be. In her spare time she gets ready practicing her walk and stance. She also drops subtle hints in front of Mr. Slinger. Hints like mentioning that a flower girl is what she has always wanted to be, "Even more than a surgeon or a diva or a hairdresser". During recess she picks handfuls of weeds and walks significantly in front of Mr. Slinger. She even draws beautiful pictures of herself in the role. You can understand then that when Mr. Slinger gently explains to her that his niece Ginger will be the flower girl, Lilly is distraught. Kindly, Mr. Slinger tells Lilly that she can be the flower girl's assistant. She is not wholly pleased with this arrangement but there isn't a whole lot she can do about it. When the big moment for Ginger to walk down the aisle arrives, however, the little girl freezes in fear. It's up to Lilly to pick Ginger up and carry her proudly down the aisle, holding her head high, smiling brightly, raising her eyebrows, and turning her head from side to side. Later at the reception Lilly shows Ginger how to do a proper walk and later gives the little girl a big hug, telling her, "Ginger, when I get married, you can be my flower girl". Henkes is all about the visual gags in this book. When we first meet Ginger, the real flower girl, she stands happily frozen, never changing expression even when Lilly wonders if she's really SURE she wants to be a flower girl. Then, when Ginger freezes at the wrong moment, her deer-caught-in-the-headlights eyes are reminiscent of Kitten's in "Kitten's First Full Moon". Wide white circles with a single black dot in the center. Mr. Slinger's outfits do not disappoint either. For his own wedding he sports a green shirt with white polka dots, a rainbow tie, and flip-flops. I also loved that when Lilly's family is sitting down for dinner the table is set primarily with