Product Description

One day Thelma tricks Frances into buying her old plastic tea set. Thelma says there are no backsies on the bargain. Can Frances come up with a plan that will change her friend's mind?

Outstanding Children's Books of 1970 (NYT)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2493916 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-30
• Released on: 1999-03-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

About the Author
Russell Hoban, author of A Bargain For Frances, also wrote five other books about Frances: A Baby Sister for Frances, Best Friends for Frances, A Birthday for Frances, and Bread and Jam for Frances, all illustrated by Lillian Hoban, and Bedtime for Frances, illustrated by Garth Williams. Mr. Hoban lives in London, England.

Customer Reviews

Rather enlightening!
I like this book, because it's written for a young child to read herself . My kids are able to read this one by the time they are 7, which is nice. It has a lot of pages, lots of story to it - which is hard to find in books that are written at the young reader's level.

What really surprised me about this book is that it addresses what happens when one has a friend that isn't very nice, and it really went into the situation in detail. The heroine of the story didn't become a martyr, and neither did she just turn her back on her friend altogether.

When my daughter first read this book, she'd had some bad experiences with a friend - who is remarkably like Thelma, Frances's friend. I thought it was a nice tool for us - we discussed how sometimes a friend might not be very nice, and what the options are in dealing with this type of situation.

This is a very good early reader for girls and a nice story for any girl who has a friend they really can't trust. (Although I don't believe every similar real-life situation is handled so simply!)

Finest I Can Read Book Ever
Despite its unlikely-looking cover, this is perhaps the finest I Can Read Book ever written. I had no idea it was a treasure when one of the kids grabbed it off the shelf at the local library. Written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban, it hilariously tells the story of a sweet and trusting little racoon who keeps getting the short end of the stick from a certain playmate.

When that playmate swindles her out of her savings, Frances doesn't go home and lick her wounds. No sir. She devises an ingenious plan to set matters straight and re-establishes the friendship on a more equitably basis.

Moms, if people tend to take advantage of your child (or someone else you know), this is a must-have book. Frances' resolution of the problem still thrills and inspires me every time I read it.

TIMELESS TREASURE
THIS BOOK IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE! IT IS SO NICE TO SEE IT STILL IN PRINT. IF YOU HAVEN'T SHARED IT WITH YOUR DAUGHTER (S), GET A COPY AND DO SO. MY TIMELESS CLASSIC IS 34 YEARS OLD AND IT IS STILL AS HUMOROUS NOW AS IT WAS THEN. MY MOTHER AND SISTER AND I STILL FONDLY REFER TO ICE CREAM AS q-p-m.