Lisette’s Lie

Lisette and her friend Bobbi are talking, and Lisette asks if Bobbi has ever told a lie. When he says no, Lisette says she thinks it would be fun. Their friend Popof walks toward them, and they lie to him saying they are going to the mountains. Popof decides to go with them. When they come to a small mound of dirt, Lisette says it’s the mountain, but Popof gets a shovel and makes it bigger, leaving a hole next to it. Lisette and Bobbi manipulate Popof into filling it with water for a lake. They have a fun day, and when Lisette gets home, her mother tells her not to lie.

It is hard to understand what the message is of this picture book. Are children supposed to understand that lying makes for fun and there are no consequences? Are they to think manipulating their friends into doing a lot of work so they can have fun is okay? Or is this just supposed to be a conversation starter leaving parents to make sense of all of this? The illustrations are very cute, and children might like the story, but it has a confusing message.