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Being Frank


Being Frank 
Written by Donna W. Earnhardt
Illustrated by Andrea Castellani
Flashlight Press, 2012. Unpaged picture book.

Frank is a bright-eyed child who firmly believes in speaking his mind. He holds nothing back, whether he is speaking with friends, teachers, or even his mother. "You wouldn't get so many wrinkles if you didn't glare at me like that," Frank told his mom on the way home. "And by the way - you're speeding." On the next page, Frank speaks with the police officer who pulls them over:  "Yes, officer," he said. "She knew how fast she was going. I told her." As you can imagine, Frank's honesty gets him into some pickles. His grandpa, Earnest, teaches him about tactfully speaking the truth with a positive spin. ("Mom, your hair looks nice today. I only see a little gray.")The illustrations are cartoony, and help this funny story about honesty to be entertaining, not preachy.

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