- Frances delays bedtime with a variety of excuses
- her parents constantly give in to her excuses
- convo points: disrespecting parents, disobedience
Type: picture book
Ages: 4-8
Author: Russell Hoban
Illustrator: Garth Williams
Frances needs to learn some manners. I have never been able to embrace the amusement people find in this story, because I can’t get past a) her disobedience, b) her parents not parenting well and c) her disrespectfulness. Only after a spanking threat does she finally stay in her room for the night.
I do, however, always love Hoban’s poems and songs he writes into these Frances books. Some are cleverly cute! The illustrations are all so charming, too. So it’s not a total loss. Other books in the series are better. 😉