Penny and Her Marble

Written by Kevin Henkes

Narrated by Cynthia Nixon

Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes’s award-winning Penny returns in the third easy-to-read story about a sweet and curious mouse, perfect for fans Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Chrysanthemum.

When Penny spots a marble in Mrs. Goodwin's front yard, she picks it up, puts it in her pocket, and takes it home. It's a beautiful marble—it's big, shiny, blue, smooth, and fast, and Penny loves it. But does the marble really belong to Penny?

Penny and Her Marble was named a 2014 Geisel Honor book by the American Library Association. This annual award, given to the most distinguished books for beginning readers, is named for the world-renowned children's author Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss.

Kevin Henkes is a master at creating books that resonate with young children. The Penny books are new classics for beginning readers and will appeal to fans of Frog and Toad, Little Bear, and Henry and Mudge. Penny and Her Marble is a Level One I Can Read book, which means it's perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.

Don't miss Penny's newest adventures in Penny and Her Sled!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Feb 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9780062195494

Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It; A House; A Parade of Elephants; Chrysanthemum; and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Reviews for Penny and Her Marble

[mdgilmor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Penny made up a great song, but no one has time to listen to her. When Penny is finally able to perform her song, it is a hit! Her parents begin to sing along with her and her siblings love it. This story is good for showing students that there is a time and a place for everything, they just need to have a little patience.

[sammarocco · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Penny came home from school with a song she had made up. She wanted to sing it to her family, but she had to wait till the baby’s woke up and till after dinnertime. When she did sing the song her family loved it.

[cbower6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.Penny And Her Song, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, Copyright 2012 HarperCollins Publishers, is a Fantasy picture book about a young mouse and how she tries to get attention in her house. This is a good book for children in kindergarten and the first grade. I liked the books illustration, use of third person narrative, and how it can relate to children of large families. The illustrations fit very nice into the story. There are two illustrations per page, one above the text and one bellow. The illustrations are also small and do not overwhelm the page. I like this because the illustrations are not so big that they take away from the text and story yet they are not so small that you cannot see them. The illustrations give us an idea of what is going on yet they do not detract us from the story. My favorite illustration is on page 17. This is a beautifully illustrated part where we can see the whole family and their joy in Penny’s song. The illustrations look to be pencil drawn which gives fine detail to the characters. Third person is my favorite type of narrative. In third person the reader can see multiple points of views, unlike in first person where only one view is available. In Penny and Her Song we see from both Penny and her parent’s point of view. We see Penny wanting to show her parents her song and we also see her parents to busy with house work and her siblings to pay attention .This gave me, the reader, an outside view of her family and how difficult it is to get attention in it. This story can make people think about how difficult it can be to get attention in a large family. This opened my mind and expanded my thoughts to how large families function. The big idea in this story is Family. Penny lives in a large family but her parents have the same amount of love for her and her siblings. They will never play favorites and they will always be there for every child.

[azlanshae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story is about a mouse named Penny who loves to sing. Her parents keep telling her its not a good time to sing her song until after dinner they welcome it. The family compliments her song and join in. After dressing up and singing the song over and over again the parents plop on the couch and the babies fall fast asleep. The parents put the babies to bed and kiss Penny goodnight.

[jaimie919 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Penny is so excited to get home because she wanted to sing her new song to her parents! When she gets home she tells her mom she learned a new song at school and started singing it. Her mother stopped her quickly and said not now the babies are sleeping. So she goes to her dad and he tells her the same thing. So Penny goes upstairs and starts singing to herself. But that did not work she wanted someone to watch her. She tried singing to the mirror and her toys. That did not work either. Finally it was time for dinner and Penny thought it was a great time to sing the song. But her parents told her now is not the time. Finally after dinner she sang her song and everyone loved it and sang along. Even the babies! In the end she ends up putting the babies to sleep because of her song.

[marycha-2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The artwork reminds me of R.W. Alley's art in Pearl and Wagner: Four Eyes, however the colors here are a bit bolder. I love color, so this was good to read because there was a lot of color to attract my attention.

[trock33 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved that Penny sang to herself, it reminded me of how I was always singing, even when it was not wanted. In the end her parents realized that her singing actually helped her siblings rather than annoy them. It was a cute story, however it is not a book I would teach, but rather have it around for children to pick on their own. I also loved that the characters were all mice, it added an extra ounce of fantasy into the book.

[scottid-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Penny has made up a song and she wants to sing it to her family NOW. She is told no and has to be patient. She eventually gets to sing later in the evening where her whole family joins her. As usual, the illustrations are amazing and detailed with a humorous undertone.

[reinadecopiaypega · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am a big fan of children's literature, they say the hallmark of a good children's book if it can hold the interest of an adult and entertain them. Sadly this did not. Bring on Kate DiCamillo and Roald Dahl.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Definitely exactly what we've come to expect from Henkes - he sure does understand children. Especially suburban children from happy families. And I guess the only reason I'm not rating this even higher is because it's almost too old-fashioned goody-two-shoes. That being said, I do want to read the other Penny books.

[miss_annie_o · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fantasy book follows Penny - a little mouse - who is walking down the street with her baby, Rose. When she reaches the the house she is allowed to walk to, Penny spies a bright blue marble sitting in the grass. She wants it so badly that she snatches it up and runs home! Once she gets there, Penny shuts herself in her room and begins to look at the marble lovingly. As she goes to look out the window, there was Mrs. Goodwin (the owner of the house that she found the marble at) and began to panic! Would she want her marble back? Would she discover that Penny was the one who took it? The rest of the day, she stayed with her mama; Penny helped her make cookies, which helped distract her, but her mind soon wandered back to the marble and she began to feel anxious and guilty. Penny could not finish her dinner. She slept fitfully during the night, dreaming that Mrs. Goodwin was angry with her. The next morning, Penny woke up early and ran back to the house to place the marble back where she found it, but Mrs. Goodwin saw her! However, she was very nice and told Penny that she could have the marble all to herself! The little mouse thanked her neighbor and noticed that the marble was even better now that she had been given it.

[lgrube4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this book up because I was immediately attracted to the mouse illustrations. This was obviously a Kevin Henkes book. This particular book was different because the author separated the pages up into four chapters. It was a picture book as well as a chapter book. It was a cute story which I think really connected to children. The story was about a girl named Penny who was one day walking her doll and came across a blue marble on her neighbors lawn. She picked up the marble and brought it home with her and put it in her drawer for safe keeping. She really loved the marble, but one day saw her neighbor, Mrs. Goodwin in her yard, and Penny thought she was looking for her marble. She began to feel very bad about taking the marble and couldn't stop thinking about it. She started feeling "sick" and kept having bad dreams about it, and even started seeing the marble in her food at dinner! That next day she decided to go put the marble back on Mrs. Goodwin's lawn. Mrs. Goodwin saw her and asked her if she had seen the marble she had put out the day before. She explained "I found the marble yesterday. It was in the back of my kitchen drawer. I thought someone would love it. That is why I put it on the grass by the sidewalk". Penny ended up getting to keep the marble and she had never been happier! I think that this story is very good because it teaches children not to take things that are not yours, and if you are honest, then something good can happen! The font was broken up into short paragraphs on every page which made it easy to read, and the illustrations were all mice. I love Kevin Henkes stories because they all have a deeper meaning than just entertainment.

[sulick1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was great for students transitioning from picture books to chapter books. Readers have the comfort of Henkes’ familiar mouse art work and story line while being challenged to read a chapter book. Similar to his other works, Henkes creates a well-developed center character that is relatable to the readers at that interest level. The writing is completely reflective of Penny, the main character, and how she perceives the world from her eyes. This allows the reader to enter into Penny’s inner thoughts and feelings and empathize with what she is going through. Additionally, the illustrations of Penny and her marble interjected onto the pages helps transition readers because it provides a break in the text as well as a visual that accompanies the words on the page. This break allows them to practice their reading fluency and build confidence. This book helps readers to see that it is important to not take what is yours because it displays (through Penny’s character) that it is not always satisfying to steal. The main purpose of this book is to transition younger readers into chapter books and expose them to self-development through respecting others as you wish to be respected.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While out for a stroll with her doll, Penny spots a marble in her neighbor's yard. It is a shiny blue marble, and Penny instantly falls in love with it. Impulsively, Penny nabs the marble. And almost immediately, she is filled with regret and remorse and anguish. Should she have taken the marble? she asks herself. Has she done the wrong thing? Should she return it? Kevin Henkes has done it again. He has dropped us right inside the mind and heart of a small child. He has bestowed on us a main character so genuine, so palpable, and so human that she might be playing right now in the house next door to us. In Penny we see a child who is all at once both self-seeking and generous, both gently naughty and deeply contrite, a child who, yes, might take something that isn't hers and yet who also has the courage to return something taken to its rightful owner. A charming little story with big ideas for small people, all told in a mere forty-eight pages.

[kmjanek · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Author (Last name first): Henkes, KevinTitle of the Book: Penny and her MarblePublisher: Greenwillow Books and imprint of HarperCollinsDate of Publication:2013ISBN# 978-0-06-208203-9Price:$12.99Grade Level:LowerElNumber of Pages: 48VOYA Rating: 4Q 4P for ElementaryHighly Recommended This is Kevin’s Henkes 3rd book about Penny. Penny is out walking her doll Rose and spots a blue marble in her neighbor’s lawn. Penny really wants the marble, so she looks around and when no one is looking, slips it into her pocket. However, Penny knows she did something she was not supposed to do and feels guilty. She feels so guilty that she is not really hungry, she does not want to make her favorite sugar cookies and she has dreams about the marble. So, the next morning, Penny goes to put the marble back where she found it. Mrs. Goodwin notices that Penny put the marble back and asks “why?” Mrs. Goodwin said she put the marble in her lawn so that someone who wanted it would find it. Penny gets to keep the marble and feels good about doing the right thing.The illustrations really convey the emotions of Penny. Penny is such a cute little mouse that all young readers will feel drawn to her. The book is done in pastel colors. Perhaps the blue was purposely put in there to make the tone a little more somber (because of the guilt). Young readers will pick up on some of the rhymes in the text. This is a great book to use for character building. It does not sound preachy at all, but the message of making the right choice is very clear. The reader will be able to feel Penny’s guilt and it will be a good discussion starter with elementary students during a character-building lesson. This book makes a good read aloud. It would be good for a library display about character or something with a mouse theme. It is a good book for emergent readers. This book would be a great choice for school libraries.

[aalkurd-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Such a cute story! I love how she gets excited over a marble. I love how this story recognizes right from wrong. Her guilty conscious got the best of her.

[kelly.jefferson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a cute little mouse with a big imagination as she walks her baby doll up and down the street to the neighbors Mrs. Goodwins. While she is at Ms. Goodwins she finds a shiny, smooth blue marble and decides she wants to keep it since she decided Mrs. Goodwin is to old for a shiny blue Marble. The guilt of taking the marble with out asking sets in for Penny and she starts imagining things, her imagination makes it hard for her to sleep and the next morning she decides to go for a walk and puts it back in Mrs. Goodwins yard. Mrs. Goodwin sees that Penny puts it back and continues to tell Penny that she put it there for someone to take she had no use for it. Penny was happy and relieved that it was given to her instead of just taking it with out asking. My personal reaction to this book was it gave a great lesson about taking things with out asking. I feel that the moral of the story was about honesty.Extension Ideas: One could be where the students and teacher discuss times that they have done something similar or had done something dishonest. Another idea could be to act out a skit with a similar situation like Penny.

[melodyreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book to read AND talk about with kids.

[jenj5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We get to see even more of Penny's world here as she begins by walking through her neighborhood. When Penny finds a marble, the temptation is too great and she scoops it up to take home. Penny's experience with guilt is very understandable, but the setup doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. If Mrs. Goodwin wanted someone to have the marble, why in the world would she leave it in her grass instead of just giving it to someone? Kind of weird honestly. Otherwise this is pretty good. I love that Penny's outfits are a different color combo each time with her headband matching the color of her polka dotted shirt and jumper. This remains a solid series for beginning readers.

[scote23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Kevin Henkes' work so much. Here is another entry into his early/easy reader series. This one discusses what Penny does when she finds a marble in a neighbor's yard and picks it up.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Penny feels guilty about taking something that does not belong to her. Beautifully done.

[mmarcel2011 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Penny finds a marble in Mrs. Goodwin’s yard. She doesn’t think the marble belongs to anyone so she takes it home. She feels bad about taking the marble, knowing it wasn’t hers and goes to return the marble back to Mrs. Goodwin. When Penny returns the marble Mrs. Goodwin tells her she left it there for someone to take. This book shows how Penny does the right thing by being honest.