Penny and Her Marble

Penny #3

by Kevin Henkes

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 of  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 beautifully illustrated 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 !

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Family, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction

48 pages, Library Binding

First published February 19, 2013

About the author

Kevin Henkes is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. As an illustrator he won the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon (2004). Two of his books were Newbery Medal Honor Books, Olive's Ocean in 2004 and The Year of Billy Miller in 2014. His picture book Waiting was named both a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book and a Geisel Honor Book. It was only the second time any author has won that combination of awards.

Reviews

[Dest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is sort of a junior version of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. Penny takes a marble she find in the grass and then feels sick with guilt that she may have stolen it.

The ending isn't quite as cute as Penny and Her Doll, but this book is definitely another shining example of Henkes' gift for writing great stories for very young readers where every word counts.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Penny is back for a third easy-reader episode, and her doll, Rose, is with her. Penny and Her Marble starts with Penny pushing Rose in a baby stroller around the neighborhood, though she's not to go any farther than Mrs. Goodwin's house. Penny imagines herself promenading through large, elegant cities, thick forests, and flying through sunlit clouds in an airplane, but something she spots on the lawn outside Mrs. Goodwin's house draws her back to reality. It's a marble, blue as a piece of fallen sky. Penny wants the marble and she's pretty sure it wants her. Making sure no one is looking, she pockets it and runs home.

The marble is visually pleasing, shiny and smooth and fun to play with, but when Penny glances out her window and sees Mrs. Goodwin standing right where the marble had been in her yard, she feels uneasy. Does Mrs. Goodwin know Penny took the marble? Her excitement for the new toy dims, and her thoughts turn to concealing what she did. She doesn't want to lose the precious marble. Penny hides the sky-blue orb in her dresser and hides herself from sight, but anxiety continues to eat at her. Penny isn't in the mood to bake cookies with her mother, and she's not hungry for supper, but she can't tell her parents why. What would they think of her actions? The guilt triggers bad dreams that night until Penny is tired enough to slip into a dreamless slumber, and she awakens the next morning knowing what she needs to do to alleviate her burden. But will Mrs. Goodwin forgive her if Penny returns the beautiful blue marble after a whole day?

This story has broad thematic relevance because readers of any age can identify with the impulse to covet pretty new things for ourselves, even if they belong to someone else. Is stealing something small every once in a great while so bad? The person who has it doesn't appreciate it like we would, we assure ourselves. But we'll never feel completely at ease as long as we know deep down we did wrong, and worry is a punishment in itself. If we ask to borrow or even keep the thing we want so badly, a friendly neighbor may be happy to accommodate us, and we won't have to lug around the weight of a heavy conscience. The value of a mind at peace can't be expressed in dollars and cents, but we know what it's worth when we don't have it, and no lovely plaything can make up for its loss. We may also discover in the end that doing what's right has benefits we couldn't anticipate.

Kevin Henkes's artwork and clear, tender storytelling are good as ever, and Penny and Her Marble may be the best book of the series. It speaks to older kids as well as beginning readers, and Penny is a mouse we want the best for as she learns life lessons that will always serve her. The same is true of us as we learn through her experiences. Kevin Henkes created another nice design scheme for the dust jacket, which is no surprise; he's one of the best who ever designed covers and interiors for picture books. I'd consider rating Penny and Her Marble two and a half stars, and fans of the author's work are sure to like it. No one presents a story with aesthetic appeal and literary substance quite like Kevin Henkes.

[Lorellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable way to address the moral ambiguity of just picking up things you find. Judging by Tot's reaction to the idea of the marble, it is indeed worth lying awake at night to ponder. Beautiful illustrations. I am pleased to see there are more books about Penny.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Penny series is so cute. They make the sweetest early reader chapter books. My five year old daughter really enjoys the relatable stories and the colorful illustrations.

[Holly Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book I thought that should be nominated for the 2013 Caldecott Medal was Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes. This book is about Penny, a small mouse, who one day finds a marble on the ground in a neighbors yard. After picking it home and taking it home she finds the guilt of taking the marble was too much and returns the marble back to its spot. I felt that this was a good story for children to learn about asking before you take something. You don't know what could belong to who and if they are going to miss it or not.
The illustrations were delightful, and look like a cartoon. The colors used in these pictures were unlike others I have seen before. Instead of a simple purple he used something closer to lavender, a sky blue instead of royal blue. The colors were pastel and they brought the book to life, reminding me of spring. They also had wonderful expressions in them, on one page after Penny spots the marble in the grass it explains how she did not see anyone watching her; the picture shows this because we see Penny looking out of the corner of her eye like she is looking for someone. Then the next picture where she is putting the marble in her pocket she has her eyes closed, as if to make it no big deal that she's taking the marble. Then we see her walking away, with her eyes looking behind her to make sure no one is still watching.

[Catherine Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, the power of guilt. As Edgar Allen Poe fans know, there's no escaping it. Penny, the mouse heroine of Henke's easy-reader series, learns this the hard way when she spots a marble on her neighbor's lawn. The marble, big, shiny and as blue as the sky, proves irresistible. It seemed to say to Penny: "Take me home." And so she does.

Guilt soon plants itself in Penny's heart, and she hides the marble in her dresser drawer. At dinner she loses her appetite when she notices how the oranges look like big orange marbles and the peas like little green ones. In bed that night she tosses and turns, and when she finally falls asleep, she dreams the marble grows so big it demolishes her dresser.

The next morning Penny makes a decision about the marble. Beginning readers, many of whom have probably struggled similarly with their conscience, will be relieved to see Penny do the right thing.

In Penny and Her Marble, Henkes has delivered yet another winner. In the Horn Book's March/April issue, he confesses the seeds of the story. When he was five, he swiped a plastic medallion from his neighbor and was stricken with guilt. See, crime does pay!

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This afternoon I got my hands on an ARC of Penny and Her Marble and I am delighted and cannot wait to add a real copy to my shelves in the new year. Kevin Henkes books are awesome and the Penny books are just plain fabulous. As very early chapter books I have yet to find anything just quite as excellent and the Penny books are excellent. Lyrical and full of a great moral lesson, Penny finds a marble and as a reader one must decide if it really is her marble for the keeps. Henkes tells a story that will get right at the conscience of an early reader and open discussion on theft and possession. This is a great example on keeping things truthful and I am delighted hat such books exist to share with my girls as they grow into readers.

We love Penny and Her Doll and I'm certain we will love any other Penny readers to come.

Thanks to HC for providing an ARC.
Typed on Kindle Fire.

scheduled: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet early-reader chapter book that helps children learn a lesson without being overly preachy. The narrative is short and there are a lot of pages, so younger children won't be intimidated by the length of the book.

The watercolor illustrations are terrific, just as I've come to expect from Mr. Henkes. The characters are expressive and adorable. Overall, it's a fun, fast read that I would recommend for younger school-age children.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY CUTE! Kevin Henkes does a fantastic job once again at showing the feelings and behaviors of young children. In this book he wonderfully illustrates (in words and pictures) the guilt/shame of taking something that might not be yours to take. Penny's feelings are crystal clear, and Henkes helps the reader feel for her as well.

[Jessica Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary and Critique:
In the story Penny and Her Marble penny was an innocent girl just taking a walk around the block when she found a marble in Mrs. Goodwin’s lawn. She was discreetly trying to pick the marble up, which automatically showed that she knew what she was doing was wrong. She then proceeded to take the marble to her house, but had a sick feeling for taking something that wasn't hers. Penny hid the marble in her room and tried to forget about what she did. Her parents later noticed that something was wrong with her but she just acted like everything was ok. That night she had nightmares about taking the marble and that it broke her dresser, which truly showed how guilty she felt about it. In the morning she went to take another walk to put the marble back in Mrs. Goodwin’s yard. When she was doing that Mrs. Goodwin saw her and asked why she was putting it back and she said didn’t respond but had a nervous look on her face, Mrs. Goodwin then told her that she left that marble for anyone to have because she knew someone would love it.

Classroom Use: I would use this book and have the students write a short summary and a drawing of what they think of when they hear the title. They would draw the picture before we read the book and then after the book the can critique how their drawing compared to what the actual book illustrations were like.

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Format:Picture book from the "I can read series"

Reading level: Grades 1st-3rd grade

Theme/Topic: Be honest with yourself and don't take things that belong to someone else without permission

Gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status: Since the characters were mice, none of those elements were included in this book

Citation: Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York: Greenwillow Books.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short picture book but a very good one. This book was about a mouse named Penny who found a blue marble in her neighbor, Mrs. Goodwin’s yard. She went for a walk and saw it laying on the ground. She picked it up, took it home and played with it for a while. Penny thought she saw her neighbor out in her yard so she hid and put the marble in her dresser. Everything Penny saw reminded her of this marble. Her mom thought she was acting funny but Penny suggested she was ok. All night Penny tossed and turned over the marble she took. The next morning she returned the marble back to Mrs. Goodwin’s yard. Mrs. Goodwin asked why Penny was putting it back. Mrs. Goodwin let penny keep the marble and Penny was very excited. This book would be good for the classroom (elementary school age) because it is something students could read and the plot makes for a good discussion after.


Genre- Picture book
Format- Picture book with short sentences to go with the pictures.
Reading Level- First grade or younger elementary
How you would use the book in a classroom- I would use this book in my classroom to see what the students would do in Penny's situation. Would they keep the marble or return it? What option do they think is morally right?
Theme/topic- Doing the right thing
Gender- Good for both genders
Race/ethnicity- Good for all races
Socioeconomic status- Good for all socioeconomic status'
Brief comments- This was a great book and would be beneficial to use in a classroom because of the way it would make students think of their own lives.

Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

[Natalie Payton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary/Critique:
Penny and Her Marble is a light hearted children’s picture book. Penny, the main character, takes her doll Rose for a walk in a stroller outside of her house. While walking with her doll, she ponders and imagines various different scenes outside such as a forest, or a sea. She suddenly spots a shiny marble outside of Mrs. Goodwin’s house and takes it home with her. She plays with the marble in her room and worries that Mrs. Goodwin will wonder where the marble went. Penny feels guilty about taking the marble without asking and feels funny all day and night about it. The next day she returns the marble to Mrs. Goodwin and as she is leaving is stopped by Mrs. Goodwin. She explains that she put the marble outside for a reason in hopes that someone would find it. Penny doesn’t feel guilty anymore returns home with the marble happy and relieved. This book is a very great book to read with young readers because it takes you through an experience of feeling guilt which is a common feeling that occurs as a kid.

Classroom Use:
I would use this book in the classroom and have the students read the book silently to themselves. Then I would ask the students to share with a partner a time where they have felt guilty before and what they did to resolve the situation.

Genre: Fiction
Format: Picture book
Reading level: PreK-2nd grade
Theme/Topic: Animals, Responsibility
Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status: This book has no important messages regarding gender, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

Citation:
Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

[Madison Wetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day Penny was walking with her doll and she come upon a beautiful blue marble lying on the grass of her neighbor’s yard. Penny, mesmerized by the beautiful marble, put it in her pocket and brought it back home with her. After playing with her shiny, blue marble, she noticed her neighbor, Mrs. Goodwin, looking on the lawn where the marble used to be. Thinking she had taken Mrs. Goodwin’s, Penny began to feel very guilty. After a sleepless night, she went back to Mrs. Goodwin’s house and returned the marble. Mrs. Goodwin came outside and told Penny she could keep the marble and Penny returned home to play with the marble all day long! I really enjoyed this brook and I thought it did an excellent job of displaying themes of not taking what is yours and always asking permission to borrow what is not yours. I would suggest this book to beginning readers, such as kindergarten through first grade. I would use this book in my teaching practices either by reading aloud to the whole class and asking them questions along the way such as what was Penny feeling after she took the marble and why she felt that way. After the discussion, I could ask my students about a time they felt guilty for doing something and ask them to write how it made them feel. As a picture book with very great detail and wonderful writing,I think this is a great book to read aloud to the whole class.



Henkes, K. (2013) Penny and her marble, New York City, NY: Greenwillow Books

[Anna Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny and her Marble is about a young girl named Penny who finds a marble in her neighbors backyard. She takes the marble, but then immediately regrets the decision because she feels as if she stole from her neighbor Ms. Goodwin. She pretends to be sick when her mother asks her whats wrong because she can't tell her mother that she stole from someone. She ends up returning the marble, only to have Ms. Goodwin let her keep it. She is so thrilled when she gets to keep the marble because she loves it! This story can give readers an experience that they may be able to relate to. When I was little I remember taking one of my sister's toys and she was so sad when she couldn't find it that I too began to regret my decison so I returned the toy. My sister told me that if I ever wanted to play with her toys to just ask. You never know what kind of good things can come from what you think may be a bad decision. This book would be suitable for readers in grades 1-3 as it is known to be an "I can read" book which indicates that children just beginning to read would enjoy this book.

Questions:
1. Do you think that Penny’s conscience was telling her to return the marble?
2. Do you think Penny felt better once she did return the marble?


Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

[Jordan Croom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny and her Marble by Kevin Henkes, tells the story of a young mouse, Penny, who finds a marble in her neighbor’s yard. She takes the blue marble back to her home, but begins to feel guilty when she sees her neighbor looking in the yard where the marble once sat. Penny returns the marble only to find out that her neighbor Mrs. Goodwin had placed the marble in her yard for someone to find.
This book is a great way to introduce kids into the structure of chapter books, and allows them to get used to longer stories. Not only that, but this story comes with a great lesson for children. The story teaches kids the importance of asking before you take something, especially if you don’t know who the item belongs to. This story opens the door to teach young minds about such important messages. Henkes does an incredible job in his writing of making sure that children come away having learned a lesson. His characters are honest and relatable. The illustrations brought to life the words, and emotions in Henkes’ story.

Teaching Idea: Create bookmarks that depict characters, scenes or events from the book

Reading Level: 1st Grade

Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

[Samantha Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

It starts when Penny stumbles across a blue marble in Mrs. Goodwin’s yard. It was so beautiful and shiny she just could not resist from taking it. She loved it at first, but she quickly began to feel guilty about taking it without permission. She can’t eat dinner because she sees everything as a marble and her guilty continues to grow. Penny then decides to return the marble to Mrs. Goodwin because she simply could not keep it. After Penny put the marble back where she found it she heard Mrs. Goodwin calling her name. Mrs. Goodwin was not mad; she put the marble there so that someone might find it and take it home with them. Penny was able to keep her marble and she loved it even more than before. the genre and format of this book is a picture book. the reading level is middle level elementary students. Students could write about a time that they did something and felt guilty about it. the theme is about stealing. i think any gender, race, and socioeconomic status would enjoy this book.

Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York: Greenwillow Books.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first "reader" I've seen by Kevin Henkes. It is broken down into little chapters, so the child can feel more like a big kid reading a chapter book. As with all of the Henkes mouse books, 'Penny and Her Marble' deals with a very real childhood topic-- this time, the very real guilt a child might feel after inadvertantly "stealing" something. I think all kids go through this, so it's a nice topic to cover for readers who will encounter the confusion (and sometimes guilt) that ensue. Charming and beautifully written with a beautiful floral border on the cover for spring.

I'm usually quick to give Henkes 4 or 5 stars, but I feel like this book loses a little something with the format. Great for growing readers who have loved the mouse books, but I still like the Henkes picture books more. In terms of books for this reading level, though, I'd recommend it to any child in my library.

[Katie Levin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penny and her Marble
Summary:

One day, Penny, who is a young mouse decided to take a walk with her and her baby doll down the street. As she passed her neighbors house, Mrs. Goodwin, she saw a beautiful blue marble that she couldn’t resist but to take. After she had taken the blue marble, she started having regret and she felt really bad because she thought that it was Mrs. Goodwin’s marble. Her guilt affected her throughout the night and the next day she decided to take the marble back. When she put the marble back, Mrs. Goodwin saw her and decided to give Penny her marble which made her love the marble that much more. This would be a good lesson for students to understand that they can not take what is not theirs. I would read this book out loud with students in grades 1st- 3rd and after ask them if they thought it was okay for penny to take the marble that was not hers.


Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York City, NY: Greenwillow Books

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny loves exploring her neighborhood with her doll Rose. One day, she spots a blue marble on Mrs. Goodwin's lawn, and takes it. But even though she is glad to have the pretty glass ball, she is plagued by guilt all the rest of the day and night. Her parents worry about her when she doesn't want to eat her food or dessert, but she claims that there's nothing wrong. After a restless night, she realizes she must return it. But when she does, it turns out that all her worry was for nothing. Still, she feels good because she did the right thing. The use of watercolor paints and a black pen help readers see Penny's dilemma quite clearly and add to this simple but effective story about how the choices someone makes affect her. Delivered in a sweetly palatable fashion, this book will be sure to raise plenty of discussion about Penny's actions.

[Kristi Scramlin]

Penny and Her Marble is the perfect story for young readers to teach them not to take things that don't belong to them. In the story Penny and her bunny Rose discover a marble on their daily walk. Penny brings it home with her but starts to feel guilty about taking the marble out of her neighbors yard. In order to get the marble off her mind the next day Penny does what she thinks is right.This would work well in younger grades if your students are having a hard time sharing or start the "finders keepers, losers weepers" trend with things in the classroom such as school supplies or toys kids sneak from home that they leave laying around.The main thing i also enjoyed about this book is how perfectly the illustrations she the emotions of Penny as they are described in the text. I would definitely recommend this book as one to put in a teachers library.

[Jasmine Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Penny and Her Marble’ written by Kevin Henkes has all of the components needed for beginner readers who are just stepping foot into the chapter book world. With its large bold text and colorful pictures on every page this story attracts its readers. Penny and Her Marble is an easy read with four short chapters giving its new readers the perfect amount of confidence while reading and completing the book. However there is an underlying message to this story that I did not feel children would be capable of picking up on and it should have been defined clearer. The message of the story was guild, from doing something wrong such as taking something that is not yours, like Penny did with the marble. But then in the end of the story there was no conclusion or message for children, Mrs. Goodwin just lets Penny keep her marble.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this easy reader chapter book, Penny the mouse finds a shiny blue marble in her neighbor's yard and takes it without asking. Filled with worry and regret, Penny hides the marble and feels sick with guilt all night long.

The next day, Penny returns the marble, clearing her conscience, only to find that her neighbor placed the marble there hoping somebody would find it and enjoy it. This revelation makes Penny's marble all the more special and beautiful in her eyes.

Great topic, well written, with full color pen and watercolor illustrations that excel at both bringing Penny's imaginative play to life and at displaying her emotions regarding the marble.

[Sam Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Henkes has a gift. Well, he has several gifts, actually. First, the guy can draw facial expressions on animals better than anyone else. He's the Kadir Nelson of animals (there's no higher praise I can give than that). Then there's his ability to write characters that are highly appealing while also remaining highly realistic. And how about the fact that he's mastered this in three different formats - picture books, chapter books, and now with the Penny books, early readers. I've yet to be disappointed with one of this guy's books.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great handling of the emotions that an ethical person has as she commits an unethical act.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a feeling I'll be writing a full review of this later in the year as we consider it for our Mock Newbery shortlist.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one captures the emotional highs and lows of childhood quite like Kevin Henkes. This one tackles the ethics of found objects beautifully.

[Sirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penny is out walking with her doll when she sees something shiny in her neighbor's yard. It's a beautiful blue marble. Penny loves the marble and takes it home. But she begins to wonder if she has done the right thing or if she will get in trouble, and soon she must decide if she can bear the guilt of stealing.

I love the way this story comes together. It cleverly balances elements of conscience, anxiety, and trust. I really like that Penny's parents understand that Penny's upset stomach might be due to worry, and they don't just brush it off. Penny makes the right decision in the end, but it never feels forced or full of doom. Really, what a smart book.

[Capn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about guilt, primarily ("finders, keepers" or return what you may have stolen?). One of the best plots for the "I Can Read"-level of early readers. Henkes is always worthwhile and never preachy, while validating small people's big and complex emotional lives.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny and Her Marble / Kevin Henkes / 2013
Genre: fiction
Format: easy reader
Plot summary: Penny feels guilty after taking a beautiful blue marble that she sees in Mrs. Goodwin's grass, but gets a pleasant surprise when she goes to return it the next day.
Considerations: none

Review citation: School Library Journal, vol 59, issue 2
"Readers will empathize with Penny and her conflicted emotions. The short sentences with plenty of repetition and superb pacing make this title perfect for beginning readers."
Section source: School Library Journal
Recommended age: 4-6