PRINCESS K.I.M. AND THE LIE THAT GREW

Nervous new girl at school tells a lie that seems to get bigger and bigger. On her first day in a new school, Kim Worthington is introduced to the whole class by the teacher. When another girl cries out that her name is Kim, everybody laughs, and the new Kim finds herself weaving a tall tale of her life as Princess Katherine Isabella Marguerite. Her classmates seem so fascinated and attentive that Kim can’t own up to her lie but gets in deeper and deeper instead. Then on the Monday-morning school bus, the cheers turn to jeers when the other students, having watched Kim’s house over the weekend, accuse her of being “a FAKE!” It takes a surprise intervention from Grandma to save the day and pave the way for Kim to set things right. Cocca-Leffler’s sunny illustrations and the book’s playful design help its valuable lesson go down easy. Classmate Jason’s skeptical commentary throughout the week acts as punctuation and leads up to a smile-inducing punchline. Appealing and effective. (Picture book. 4-6)