Being Frank

(NOTE: I was given a copy of this book to review but all opinions are my own.)

In 2002, I met a fellow who styled his hair like the Beatles. Remember that style? Hair combed forward from the crown to the forehead with bangs cut straight across the top of the eyebrows? Remember? That hair style was popular back in the 1960s and 1970s when the Beatles were popular. But in 2002, I thought his haircut was so outdated.

A few days ago, someone posted a picture on Facebook. This fellow was in that picture. With that same hair style. He is now in his late 70s. His haircut was outdated in 2002 and even more so now.

My first thought upon seeing the picture was that somebody ought to tell him how ridiculous his hair style was and that he ought to change it.

The next day I received a copy of Being Frank by Donna W. Earnhardt. Read on to see how ironic my reaction was.

Frank, the main character in the book, strongly believed that honesty was the best policy. And it was.

But, what if being honest hurt other peoples’ feelings? Made them feel bad? What then, hmmm?

He told his friend, Dottie, that her freckles looked like the big dipper. He told his friend, Carol, that her singing was shrieky.

He told his teacher that she had bad breath and told the principal that his toupee looked like a weasel. And when his mother got pulled over for speeding, he told the police officer that his mother knew she was speeding because Frank had told her so.

Everyone got upset by Frank’s frankness. But what pulled him up short was his friend telling him that she wouldn’t ride the Ferris wheel with him at the school carnival the next day.

What?!? They ALWAYS rode the Ferris wheel together!

Frank went to his grandfather for consolation. (I’m glad that he turned to a grandparent!) Come to find out, Grandpa had experienced the same dilemma.

While they were talking, a woman wearing an atrocious hat stopped by. She asked Grandpa how he liked her hat. He told her it looked like a flower store.

Then, a neighbor that had made an extremely spicy relish asked Grandpa what he thought of the relish. Even though the relish burned his mouth like fire, Grandpa found something nice to say about it.

Frank was indignant. He called Grandpa a liar. Then Grandpa taught Frank a valuable lesson. You should always tell the truth but find a kind way to say it. Instead of being truthfully rude, be compassionately true.

The next day, Frank followed Grandpa’s advice. At the school carnival, instead of telling a lady that her laugh sounded like a horse, he told her that she told great jokes. Instead of telling a man that he danced weird, Frank told him that he did impressive spins.

He also said nice (true) things to Dottie and Carol and they asked him to ride the Ferris wheel with them. (Phew!)

In the end, Frank declared that honesty was still the best policy but that it was best served with more sugar and less pepper.

(Can you now see the irony in what I thought about the man’s haircut with the timing of when I received this book?)

This book provides a great way to teach children how to tell the truth using more sugar than pepper. Kids understand sugar’s sweeness. They know how awful HOT pepper can be. They can use those examples to guide them when they find themselves in a sticky situation where telling the truth would hurt someone’s feelings. It can help them to say something that’s honest and also nice.

The book’s illustrations are fun. The picture of the teacher with bad breath has fish bones and skulls and crossbones coming out of her mouth. The cars are reminiscent of the yellow and orange bubble-like Little Tyke cars that kids sit in and push around with their feet. In the bath, Frank wears snorkeling gear. And when Grandpa tastes the exceedingly hot relish, he has bugged-out eyes, lime green skin, and hair sticking straight out like Pick Up Sticks.

However, my favorite illustration is on the front cover of the book. The colorful letters of the title are wonky in size and angle and each letter has a fun design in it. Plus, the title and Frank’s picture are embossed. That’s cool.

You can get a paperback copy of Being Frank by Donna Earnhardt on Amazon for $7.99