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“Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”
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Summary: Penelope is a pig, quite proud of her stink ... but her family isn't quite so pleased. Thinking she was all alone, she left home only to discover that skunks like to stink. But skunks have odor limits, too, and now Sparky Skunk was feeling blue. Penelope invited him to run away from home with her. When they stopped to rest, they learned some frightening news. Three evil foxes were planning to eat Penelope's family! What could they do? This is a text-heavy picture book about being true to yourself and respecting others.
Type of Reading: bedtime story, family reading, anytime reading, playtime reading, read aloud book
Recommended Age: read together: 5 to 9; read yourself: 9 to 12
Interest Level: 4 to 8
Reading Level: 5.6
Age of Child: Read with a 7-year-old girl
Little Kid Reaction: Our daughter loves this book. She has asked for it every night for more than a week, and she will pick it out to read by herself. Her favorite part is to recite Penelope's line "I stink. I stink. I really really stink" and then laugh uproariously.
Big Kid Reaction: We have read this enough. The story resembles The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and similar story classics. The story is cute the first couple of times, but it is text-heavy and gets tiring to read. The humor, while quaint and clever, is not overly original. Although not a huge deal, the story ends when the foxes are taken care of. There are no "adults" that wrap up the idea that running away doesn't solve problems.
Pros: This picture book story is filled with the kind of humor young children enjoy.
Cons: The reading level for this book exceeds the target audience's interest level. There is sheet music for a song at the back. It might be nice to include a CD with the soundtrack so that families who don't have instruments can still sing the song.
Borrow or Buy: Skip. There are other, stronger stories that offer kind of down-home humor kids crave.
Educational Themes: There are several lessons here. The obvious ones are about acceptance and teamwork. Penelope and Sparky decide to run away to deal with their sadness. There is nothing in the story that addresses (or resolves) their feelings in the same way they are spelled out in the front of the book. The story gives parents a perfect way to talk about running away and stranger danger.
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