Children's Review: Penny and Her Song

Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, $12.99 hardcover, 9780062081957, 32p., ages 4-8, February 28, 2012)

Kevin Henkes, whose picture books provide an emotional documentation of childhood (Wemberly Worried; Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse) introduces a new mouse character named Penny for a spot-on beginning reader series.

Sporting a pink jumper, orange polka-dot blouse and a matching flower headband, Penny comes home from school with a song she can't wait to share. But she only gets as far as the first phrase before her mother asks her to wait until her twin baby siblings wake up. Papa, too, after hearing two phrases, asks Penny to hold off while the babies sleep. So Penny sings the first three phrases to herself in her room. But that's no fun. "She wanted someone to listen to her." Henkes taps into the resourcefulness of newly independent children as he pictures Penny singing to herself in the mirror ("that didn't work") and to her glass animals ("that didn't work, either"). Each vignette portrays Penny starting with high hopes, then registering disappointment. The author-artist conveys the passage of time in four windowpane illustrations of Penny making faces at herself in the mirror, then moving her glass animals around. "She almost forgot about her song," he writes.

But at the dinner table, Penny remembers her song. This is the first time we see the babies, who are now wide awake in a cozy woven basket. Mama and Papa ask Penny to be patient until after dinner, but afterward, Penny sings her entire song for the whole family. Her song counts up to 10 and rhymes beautifully. She even curtsies at the end. Mama and Papa praise her, and "the babies made baby noises," their tiny faces filled with glee. Penny's parents do not just shower her with praise, they get dressed up and perform the song with her. Papa wears a silly hat and holds the salad fork as if it were a baton, while Mama sports sunglasses, groovy beads and sandals ("The babies wore what they were wearing"), and "they all sang and sang and sang." Even the babies lift their heads and open their mouths to make their baby noises. Penny has the last laugh when all the excitement tuckers out her infant siblings. (Mama and Papa appreciate the irony, too.) The babies fall asleep, and Penny has a song that's hers to keep.

Henkes's deceptively simple text and illustrations convey a great deal about Penny and her family. Even though his young heroine must wait for nearly half the book to sing her song from start to finish, the author-artist shows that her parents love her. The first thing we see are Penny's mother's outstretched arms when her daughter arrives home from school. While she waits patiently to perform, Penny occupies herself with other activities. Henkes conveys a child's boundless imagination and rich emotional life. He gives newly independent readers two chapters to encourage a sense of accomplishment, and the last line of the first chapter resonates with the final line of the book. Each time Penny tries to sing her song, she gets one phrase further. These are the kinds of details children will notice with repeated readings, and they will feel rewarded with each new connection they make on their own. Just as Penny feels a sense of accomplishment and joy in the creation and performance of her very own song, so will newly independent readers feel a sense of accomplishment and joy in the completion of this exuberant picture book. Luckily, there are two more in store for them: Penny and Her Doll (due out in August) and Penny and Her Marble (to be published in February 2013). Children will welcome Penny as the latest addition to Kevin Henkes's beloved cast of characters.

 

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