Pretty Penny Sets Up Shop

by Devon Kinch

Pretty Penny has lots of big ideas. For instance, she wants to throw a birthday party for her grandmother, Bunny, but there is only one problem—she doesn't have any money! What's a creative, industrious girl to do? When Penny notices that Bunny's attic is cluttered with old things that still have value, Penny has an idea—create a "Small Mall!" Penny will have to clean up and set up shop in the attic to sell the old items to earn the money for Bunny's surprise celebration. Author/illustrator Devon Kinch has created a charming, stylish character with a signature look, just like such classic children's book characters as Madeline, Eloise, Pippi Longstocking, and Olivia—Penny is never without her fuschia purse! With Pretty Penny's help, kids can get money savvy!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Mathematics

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 1 out of 5]

A muddleheaded, sentimental premise sets up this book -- and maybe readers? -- to approve of something that could be quite a mistake.

Pretty Penny may be pretty, but her ethics? Not so much.

In order to throw a surprise birthday party for her grandmother, Penny needs money. (Supposedly.) How to get that money.

Penny figures that Grandma's attic is cluttered with old things that could bring a pretty penny. So she will make a "Small Mall!" Like it's honorable, or ethical, for her to sell Bunny's "old items" to throw a big party.

Such ageism! Is Grandma so doddering that she can't decide what to do with her collectibles? I don't think so.

RATING THIS BOOK

I am appalled. This gambit from a granddaughter is called stealing.

Who is Penny to decide which "old" things have value? Who is she to sneak around and sell things that don't belong to her?

Horrifying. Not cute. Not "Pretty."

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids (4 & 5) really love this book, and so do I. The artwork is adorable and the story is cute and clever. It teaches without the kids even knowing they're being taught. It presents a lot of opportunities to stop and talk about the story and about finance and money in a way that is very accessibe to kids. When Penny "sets up shop", my kids always stop and study the picture, picking out the things they would buy and thinking of the things they would sell. This book is a great introduction to money and the value of a dollar, teaching children that things cost money and money needs to be earned. After we read Pretty Penny for the first time, my kids were excited to set up their own shop and make little price tags so my husband and I could go "shopping". This book is really one of a kind. And I love her clever little name, Pretty Penny. It's a huge hit with our family, we'll definately be picking up the next Penny book.

[Inna Nako · Rating 4 out of 5]

-cute book about a girl who wants to throw a birthday party for her grandmother
-she doesnt have any money, so she decides to sell the extra items she has in the attic- she calls it the small mall: nice twist on it (instead of calling it a garage sale)
-many connections can be made through this book: birthdays, parties, no money, garage sales
-a fun activity would be to create a list of items someone would sell and put a price on them using logical reasoning, just like Penny did in the story
-the studnents can also have a mini sale in the classroom using fake items (maybe drawings of items) so they can practice adding and subtracting money and dealing with change

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I heard about this book, I had high hopes but it left me feeling somewhat mixed. The concept is great...Penny wants to give her grandmother a birthday party but she doesn't have any money. She comes up with the idea to sell some of the wonderful stuff in the attic. Penny's big ideas, and quirky habits are fun. The money stuff was a little vague and does not necessarily come together in the way I had hoped that it would. With just a little tweaking this could be something used to support a money unit in 2nd or 3rd grade.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Problematic; the art is not great and the story is pretty rote. Even purely as a teaching tool it is tricky because the numbers never "add up" (what Penny prices and sells in the story doesn't add up to what she makes in the end) and while the bills and coins are clearly laid out in one spread, which coin is which is never specified. But it can be used to support a money unit at school or a discussion at home, in the greater sense of kids becoming comfortable with and familiar with how money works. I much prefer the MathStart books by Murphy.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pleasant but unremarkable. Puzzled about why the pig's nose looks like an oval-shaped toaster.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just . . . really not my thing at all.