A Birthday for Frances

"A rainbow and a happy tree are not for Alice or for me. I will draw three-legged cats and caterpillars with ugly hats." Frances deals with birthday envy and how to be generous when her little sister's birthday rolls around. Another bright and endearing tale about a lovable little badger. She's a model for all of us who aspire to write children's stories. And kids love her too. This is one of my two-year-old's favorite stories.

This is a wonderful story, I love Hoban's books as they work well on both the adult and the child levels. This is bascially the story of Frances, a badger who is struggling with the fact that her little sister Gloria is having a birthday. Frances does not say it out loud, but rather through her actions and her little rhymes we realise that she is unhappy about it, that her sister seems to have all the birthdays and she doesn't have as many. Something which almost all children struggle with at some stage or another.

The lovely hting about this book is that the parents are so lovely and patient, and the sub-text is really fun for adults reading it. What Frances does makes for great fun. She borrows two weeks pocket money from her mother to buy Gloria a present, but then she ends up 'accidentally eating half of it - and the other half looks distinctly threatened by her justification.

I will guarantee your family will enjoy this story, and the other Frances stories as well - they are highly recommended as great good fun.

Frances is one of the most endearing characters in all of children's literature. The funny songs she makes up and the way she handles events that happen to all children make her stories classics. In this one, Frances is jealous because it is her little sister, Gloria's birthday and Gloria is getting all the attention. There are several amusing events as Frances tries to cope with her feelings, the best of which is when she "accidently" chews the bubble gum she bought as part her birthday gift for Gloria. All turns out well in the end, when Frances realizes it is her sister's turn to have the spotlight.

This story brings back wonderful memories of when my mom read the Frances books to me. It's a great story with wonderful illustrations. If you've never read this story, you and your child will surely love it and if you have read it, it is sure to bring back fond memories.

I remember my mother reading Frances books to me when I was little, and I couldn't wait to read them to my daughter. The Frances books are wonderful children's stories.

good birthday gift for anyone who knows these books

My children's favorite books that I read aloud thousands of times! This and others in this collection are for my first grandchild.

A Birthday for Frances is well loved by many and the fictional story is timeless. It is a great read aloud and can be used to build a lesson on sharing in the classroom. Good for Grades k-1! Read it an share a "chompo" with your sibling, enjoy!

We had to get this in hardback, we read this one regularly and have a few of here other books