Chrysanthemum

As you probably know, in the completely excellent Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes the lovely little mouse of the title goes off to school and is mocked by her name. When Chrysanthemum returns home crushed, her parents pooh-pooh the mean things the girls said to her, and reassure her with loving words of support and macaroni and cheese (with ketchup) and games of Parcheesi. And, when Parcheesi is done, Chrysanthemum's mother hugs her and her dad sneakily tucks into a book titled: The Inner Mouse, Vol 1, Childhood Anxiety. Later in the book he reads A Rose by Any Other Name....Understanding Identity. I just love that book, Chrysanthemum, I mean.