Reading for our family summer reading program. Mom's pick...krb 6/22/20

Ellie thought this was too simple and not a very good story line...krb

Just finished reading this to my daughter. Sweet ending. Got this through interlibrary loan, and it's actually the first edition - from 1944!

Here we have another of the assigned books from our curriculum (Sonlight). It’s the story of 6-year-old Penny, the endearing adopted son of two doting parents who shepherd him through boyhood problems (unkind friends, the search for a pet, and a desire for a sibling) and shenanigans. Penny’s parents teach him simple lessons about faith, love, and family, and they encounter plenty of humorous moments along the way.

Published in 1942, this is very much a book of its time. The writing is simple, and the stories are innocent, one-dimensional, and moralistic. I didn’t mind the dated stereotypes or stylistic choices, and these were actually a draw for my 6-year-old (who adored this book and is asking to continue with the series)—many modern books try too hard to be relevant, and I’ve found that the older books are often more popular with kids, who don’t need all the bells and whistles we adults presume they want. In that sense, books like this one are exactly what I want my child to be reading.

That said, I struggled with the problematic messaging embedded in this book, particularly around adoption, which it paints in an overly positive light; this could be very misleading for children (especially adopted children) without an adult reading alongside them. I was also concerned with the book’s discussions of faith. (For instance, when Penny is sad that his cat has gone missing, his mother assures him that if he prays for the cat’s return, God will send the cat back—which, of course, does happen. This is not at all in line with how prayer works, and pretending that it is this easy may set young readers up for faith crises in the future.) These are not prominent parts of the book, but they are worth noting. They made for good conversation-starters with my son, but I worry about young readers who do not have a faith-minded parent reading alongside them to help them navigate these prickly topics.

There are far worse books that our children could be reading, and this one does have plenty of redeeming qualities. But with many better reading options out there for young readers, this is not one I would be quick to recommend.

My Rating: 3 Stars. (Charleston’s Rating: 5 Stars)

Book Format: Print

Adorable. Although I do wonder what Penny’s father does for a living with a summer home and a sailboat at the yacht club.

What a fun little book for young children! Penny is a happy and obedient little boy with a loving family and some fun adventures. There are some euphemisms that need to be edited out, but other than that it is a wholesome book with old-fashioned values for young readers to enjoy. My six-year-old loved it, and I look forward to getting more in the series for him.

It has been a long time since I read any books by Carolyn Haywood! When my now-13-year-old was around 6 or 7, his favorite books were the ones about Eddie, and I also read him some about Penny. Now, I have a 5-year-old who loves stories, and he is loving the stories about Penny just as much. We finished Here’s a Penny a few days ago, and of course he wanted to read the sequel, Penny and Peter.

n  Read my full review here.n

Read aloud to my Kindergartener & 4th Grader in our homeschool. They really enjoyed this story. It wasn't my favorite, but was sweet. Definitely opened up a lot of conversation about adoption.

This is a sweet, old-fashioned book that my two boys (ages 6 and 4) really enjoyed. It brings up the topic of adoption in a simple way that made it easy for my boys to understand. I loved how the mother explains to Penny that he is her really, truly boy. Such a beautiful part of the story that really touched me. Also, my boys laughed so hard when Penny and his friend wore the same Halloween costume. I thought this was a great, simple story that was quite enjoyable.

I read with my first grade daughter. This book is written in 1944 where 6 year olds were walking in streams by themselves and alone to halloween parties and climbing on roofs. The boy is named Penny because his hair color was the color of a penny. I kept wanting to say 'she'. It's a cute innocent book that also discusses adoption. My daughter and I were able to discuss adoption and the concept of 'really truly' parents which was in the book. Great old fashioned book. Some might say 'dated' but it was good.

A sweet read-aloud for the littlest listeners.

“I loved this book!”
“What did you love about it?”
“Everything!”

Wow, such a great book introducing adoption and some of the big feelings that come with it to younger kids in a read aloud