A Bargain for Frances - written by Russell Hoban, Pictures by Lillian Hoban

When I pulled this book out to read to Little Missy everyone started drifting into the room, the boys, the daughter home from college, everyone.  Everyone loves Frances and she is every child.  Her story is simple but oh SO TRUE!

Have you ever had buyer's remorse?  This is one of our family's favorite booksthat takes this on from a child's viewpoint. Frances (a little badger girl) doesn't have a tea set but she'd like one. Her "friend" Thelma has one to sell but it's not exactly what Frances had envisioned.

Have you ever had a friend that you had to be careful when you played with them?

"Why do I have to be careful?" said Frances.
"Remember the last time?/" said Mother.
"Which time was that?" said Frances.
"That was the time you played catch with Thelma's new boomerang," said Mother. 
"Thelma did all the throwing, and you came home with lumps on your head."
"I remember that time now," said Frances.

Many years ago when one of my daughters' was 10 ( not Little Missy, a different daughter, I have 5) she had a friend like this.  Only it was much more difficult because it wasn't just my daughter being taken advantage of, she was being drawn into a culture of being mean, really mean, to other girls.  This book helped her take a step back and look at this friend and make some decisions about whether she could be friends with her or not.

Singing on the way home about the wonderful deal she got on the used, plastic with red flowers tea set.

Family can be so brutally honest.  This is Gloria, Frances' little sister calling it like it is.  I love her little badger doll.

After Frances discovers that she has been duped she sings on the way home,
Now that plastic's what I've got, 
Backsises are what there is not. 
Mother told me to be careful,
But Thelma better be bewareful.

I love the little songs throughout the book that crystalize Frances' thought process for the reader.  I have had 2 children who make up songs and it rings so true to childhood.

 Mr. Scientist, my 11 yo, says his favorite part in this book was when Frances calls Thelma to tell her in a very sneaky, but yet honest way that there is some money in the sugar bowl of the ugly tea set she has sold her.

"Can I keep what is in the sugar bowl too.? said Frances.
"What is in the sugar bowl?" said Thelma.
"Never mind," said Frances. "No backsies. Good-bye." 
Frances hung up.

I love how Frances is able to creatively resolve her own problem and still maintain her friendship - and in fact took her friendship to another level.  She isn't mean spirited but she is not a door mat!  I also love how she interacts with her sister and mother.

All the the Frances books are lovely and so wise!  We love them all, Bedtime for Frances, where you find out that it is a moth's job to bump into the windows at night, Best Friends for Frances, where you find out that sisters can be friends and go on outings, Bread and Jam for Frances, when what she is, is tired of jam, A Baby Sister for Frances, when she runs away under the dining room table and A Birthday for Frances, where you are introduced to the delights of Chompo Bars.  

The Empty Pot

Here is another favorite. The Empty Pot - written and illustrated by Demi. This line from her biography cracked me up - " By the age of two she was already drawing on walls and other surfaces."


The Empty Pot is a retelling of a folk tale that her husband was told as a little boy. I love how she has kept the story intact and doesn't try to soften the tale with comic relief sidekicks unlike another group of people I could name but won't. Softening the story would only lessen it's power.  We will all have to face doing hard things and I love to have my children meet people have faced up to their challenges and overcome.  It will give them strength when their time comes.

The Emperor is very old and he needs to choose a successor to his throne. He doesn't know how to choose (or so he says) and he decides to let the flowers choose. He calls all the children in the kingdom to come and get some flower seeds and gives them a year to grow the most beautiful flower.

The year passes and Ping carefully cares for his seeds. I love how the changing seasons are beautifully depicted! But his seeds never grow.
After a year has passed all the children bring beautiful plants to the palace. All but Ping, he has to bring his empty pot because it was the best he could do.

I'm really struggling here because I want to tell you the end of the story but then maybe you will think to yourself, "I know the end of the story, I don't think I need to read that book." But you do need to read it, because the book is so real and this situation is going to happen to your child and you want them to be prepared to do the right thing.

Once again this book is a favorite because it satisfies something deep inside of you. It talks about big issues. It is about trying your hardest and thinking you have failed but then almost miraculously it turns out that you have not failed at all. In fact you are about to be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.

I believe that this really happens, and in real life, just as in the story, you are often rewarded from unlooked for venues.

It is about being honest and how you are sometimes treated when you are honest. All you have to do is look at the smirking, little faces of all of the other kids as Ping tearfully shows his empty pot. You will be reminded of faces you have seen (probably in grade school or perhaps Jr. High) and never want to be. And you will feel the humble but triumphant thrill when it turns out that doing your best is what is needed.

A great parenting reminder came in this line, "All the parents wanted their children to be chosen Emperor, and all the children hoped they would be chosen too!" It reminded me all those contests in grade school that I didn't win but still being proud of what I entered because I had done it all myself and my mom didn't help me. It makes me question at what point do we help our children and when do we just let them do their best. It seems in this competitive society that I find myself raising my children in this line is becoming more and more blurred.

I love the illustrations! Truly if a children's book doesn't have beautiful illustrations then the story had better be amazing. I actually think that you are better off with no illustrations at all than poor ones. The poor ones just interfere with your imagination.
Little Missy's take on it: I liked all the pretty flowers and picking my favorite. I liked it that he was the only one who was brave enough to bring an empty pot. I really liked the goat unicorn.