verbatim: Horace Wins Again

Years ago Steph and I found a picture book at the library that we both loved so much that I just had to buy it. It was That's Mine, Horace by Holly Keller, and it later become a favorite of Pete's and then Julie's. It tells the story of Horace, who finds a toy truck on the playground and pockets it, then denies it when the owner of the truck, his friend Walter, confronts him. Horace gets more and more guilt-ridden as he ends up lying to his teacher, his mother, and even his doctor (he's so upset that his mother thinks he's sick and keeps him home from school). There's a nice resolution in which all the students send Horace "get well soon" cards, and Walter's offers Horace a graceful way out of the situation: "It's OK for you to keep the truck until you're all better. Then you have to give it back." (At which point Julie always nods sagely and says, "That seems fair!")

The drawings are very sweet (although it used to bother Steph that a leopard boy had a tiger mom—she doesn't like when animal books mix species within families) and the text level is just right.

I brought this book to preschool once when I volunteered to read aloud to Steph's group, then again for Pete's, and finally last year for Julie's. The kids always get very excited because they can identify with Horace ("Horace thought it was the best truck he had ever seen.... He stuffed the truck into his pocket and ran back to class."), yet they know that stealing and lying are wrong, and they sympathize with Walter, too.

So today I was the kindergarten Mystery Reader: Every Friday a parent pretends to leave after drop-off but in fact sticks around in the hallway and then comes in to read a book to the class. Julie was so surprised to see me reappear after the bell rang! Guess what book I brought? I had never really thought of it as a kindergarten book before, but it isn't babyish and the story and moral are certainly still relevant. And, not surprisingly, the kids all loved the book. I heard a few kids say "uh-oh" when they recognized the conflict, and they were all grinning with satisfaction at the end.

I just don't want to face the fact that this was probably the last time I will read this book aloud to a group of little kids!