Penelope Positano Sees It All

Gr 1-3–Penelope is a perky elementary–school aged girl looking forward to her family’s regular Friday night pizza meal. Before her grandma could even start with her ­request for “scandalous gossip,” Penelope’s ­parents inform her that they have exciting news: they are going to let Penelope get a dog. When Penelope discusses this exciting news with her best friend, Gus, he assures her that “when you meet your dog, you’ll know.” During this encounter with her friend Gus, readers discover that Penelope wears an eye patch after school to help strengthen one of her eyes. She has a very positive take on her condition and believes that it helps her see the world differently. Penelope visits the shelter multiple times a week. At the first visit she sees many dogs, but none are right, and one in particular scares Penelope. On her final visit of the week, the girl is wearing her eye patch, and her grandma reminds her that she “sees things other people don’t see.” This means that she sees the dog that initially scared her in a different way, and she adopts ­Wedgehead; they each head home with a new best friend. Illustrations are full of bright colors and rounded faces featuring a diverse cast of characters with ­Penelope cueing white. The illustrations provide strong support to growing readers with spot art throughout as appropriate with the text. Penelope’s colorful patterned eye patch is integrated into the story in a way that highlights her abilities rather than her difficulties. The vocabulary will challenge some but is supported by those detailed and engaging illustrations.