The Purse

Caple, who brought young readers The Biggest Nose, now introduces Katie. Katie loves the noise her Band-Aid box full of coins makes when she rattles it. But when her older sister Marcia insists that big girls have purses, Katie uses her money to buy one. She finds, however, that an empty purse is less satisfying than a Band-Aid box full of coins; she spends the rest of this story ingeniously resolving her problem. The Purse has a number of homely virtues. It introduces the uses and value of money in a gently instructive fashion. And it presents an average family in a warm domestic atmosphere. As she gardens with her mama and shops for groceries with her papa, Katie is reaping the rewards of being part of a caring family. The text is simple; the expressions on Katie's face document her earnest pursuit of a solution, from worried knit eyebrows to that last wide smile. (4-8)