Chrysanthemum Activities and Comprehension Questions

How do you help your students deal with bullying in the classroom? Read on to find Chrysanthemum activities and comprehension questions that focus on identity, relationship skills and self-management.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes promotes identity, relationship skills and self-management. It also gives you the opportunity to promote:

Self-esteem and self-confidence
Bullying and jealousy
The effect words can have on others
Names are an important part of our identity
Being true to yourself

Scroll down for Chrysanthemum activities, discussion questions and videos.

Chrysanthemum Summary

Chrysanthemum parents name her after a flower because they think she is perfect and it is the perfect name for her. The little mouse loves the way her name sounds and how it looks important when it is written down.

She loves her name until she starts school. On her first day, her new classmates tease her because of her unique, long name. She tells her parents “School is no place for me… My name is too long. It scarcely fits on my name tag. And I’m named after a flower.” Her parents reassure her how special it is, but Chrysanthemum ‘wilts’ every time she is teased.

Mrs Twinkle, the music teacher, announces to the excited students she is pregnant. She defends Chrysanthemum when she is teased by telling the students she is also named after a flower and thinks Chrysanthemum would be a lovely name for her baby.

Suddenly, all the other students want to be named after a flower, making Chrysanthemum feel proud of her name once more.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Perfection Learning (1996)
ISBN: 9780780762596
Take a look inside
Kevin Henkes Offical Website

Book Series

A Weekend with Wendell (1986)
Sheila Rae, the Brave (1987)
Chester's Way (1988)
Julius, the Baby of the World (1990)
Chrysanthemum (1991)
Owen (1994)
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse (1996)
Wemberly Worried
Lilly's Big Day (2006)
Penny and Her Song (2012)

Related Books

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
My Name Is Yoon by Helen Recorvits
My Name Is Elizabeth! by Annika Dunklee
The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide
Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie
Your Name Is a Song by J Thompkins-Bigelow
My Name Is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin

Chrysanthemum Activities & Resources

I have created a bundle of literacy graphic organizers for Chrysanthemum. You can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are many activities for each literacy area to differentiate depending on your student’s ability/age. They include activities for:

Cause & Effect
Character Traits and Analysis
Making Connections
Point of View
Problem and Solution
Retelling, Sequencing and Summarizing

*Click on these links to discover book recommendations on these topics.

Click the image to see a preview of the full literacy resource for Chrysanthemum on Teachers Pay Teachers

External Chrysanthemum Activities & Links

Kevin Henkes Website: The World of Kevin Henkes Activity Booklet
Prindle Institute for Ethics: Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion
Read Works: Chrysanthemum lesson plan
Scholastic: Extension Activities
Teacher Vision: Chrysanthemum Lesson Plans
WITS Program: Questions and Activities

Chrysanthemum Read-Aloud Questions

Read aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. You can model reading habits and strategies, reading fluency, tone and eye contact. You can also introduce different genres, authors and illustrators.

Describe the problem faced by Chrysanthemum and how it was solved.
How does Kevin Henkes show Chrysanthemum’s emotions throughout the book?
Why was Chrysanthemum so upset after her classmates teased her because of her name?
Why do you think Victoria, Rita, and Jo made fun of Chrysanthemum’s name?
How could Mrs Chud have handled the teasing in a more effective way?
What do you think of how Chrysanthemum’s parents handled the situation? Could they have done anything differently?
How does Chrysanthemum feel after Mrs Twinkle intervenes? How do you know?
Why do you think Chrysanthemum put her most prized possessions and good luck charms in her pockets before school?
What did the students learn from Mrs Twinkle?
Give advice to Victoria about how she should treat people who are different from her.
How should Chrysanthemum’s classmates have reacted when they heard her unique name?

You can find a full set of 72 discussion cards in the Chrysanthemum Book Companion or as a separate pack.

Chrysanthemum Book Videos

Books by Kevin Henkes

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