Birthday for Frances, A

Russell Hoban, Lillian Hoban (1983), Scholastic

Tomorrow is Gloria’s birthday, and Frances is not happy about it. She is jealous of her little sister and all of the festivities being prepared to celebrate her. Frances slowly warms up to the idea that Gloria’s birthday is not about her, and even buys her little sister a present. On Gloria’s birthday, Frances follows through with giving her the present, as well as wishing her a happy birthday.

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Talk with a child about this book

Why do you think Frances didn’t want to celebrate Gloria’s birthday?

At the beginning of the story, Frances did several things to get in the way of preparing for her little sister’s birthday: she “ran away” with Alice, she drew ugly things on the placemats, and she originally said that she was not going to get Gloria a present. What is one thing she could have done differently in order to be a good friend to her sister?

What is one way that Frances showed forgiveness to her sister?

What do you think Frances learned by the end of the story?