Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. Having made the rounds seeking advice-the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”) red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice-Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Rex give a sad friend a hug?įleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. The familiarity of Henkes’ mouse world, as well as expertly paced and controlled storytelling for new readers, mark this as a new classic, earning Penny a firm place alongside the not-so-creatively-named Frog, Toad, Little Bear and that celebrated Cat in the Hat. Henkes always excels at choosing just-right names for his characters (see Chester, Wilson, Lilly, Sheila Rae and, of course, Chrysanthemum and her “absolutely perfect” moniker), so this story seems particularly at home in his oeuvre. Her parents make suggestions, but none seem right, and they reassure her, “Try not to think too hard…Then maybe a name will come to you.” Sure enough, after taking her doll on a tour of the house and then into the garden, the perfect name arises: “his is Rose!” she announces. The fly in the ointment is Penny's struggle to name the doll. Inside is a doll for Penny, with a note reading, “I saw this doll when I was shopping. Penny smells the roses while Mama weeds, and then the mailman delivers a package from Gram. The story opens with Penny chatting amicably with her mother in the garden. Following Penny and Her Song (2012), Henkes delivers an even stronger slice of anthropomorphic mouse life for beginning readers.

Penny and her doll by kevin henkes