Penny N' Pals, Review and Author Interview

Penny N’ Pals, A Synopsis

This beginner chapter book written by Jenny Brunstein and illustrated by Kirsten Winklebauer is a wonderful book for beginning readers. The chapters are short and the pictures help bring the story to life.

Penny N’ Pals is the tale of new beginnings as a child and his mother pick out a new puppy, Penny, after their beloved dog passes away. The story goes on to describe the family enduring new puppy tribulations in the form of both humor and fear as a mischievous puppy begins her life in a new home.

Penny the dog was excited for her new family. Greg is thrilled for a new best friend and can’t wait for their new adventure to begin.

Throughout the book, the author switches perspective between Penny and Greg. This helps children understand the feelings of both Greg and Penny as they begin their new adventure. Penny N’ Pals defines the underlying teaching that you can’t make it in the world of San Francisco without a loving family to guide you through life’s lessons.

Penny N’ Pals (Book)

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About Jenny Brunstein

Jenny Brunstein is born and raised in the Bay Area, California. Prior to writing books, Jenny has spent a number of years in the tech industry of Silicon Valley. Past publications include her poetry at an early age in the Stanford Anthology for Youth. In her spare time, she loves to play basketball with the real-life Penny and her boyfriend and showcase to her loving family her visions of future Penny stories. Jenny was inspired to write the book after babysitting two adorable boys. The siblings are in different age ranges and she wanted to create a book that parents could read to their kids or kids at more advanced reading levels can read on their end.

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Interview with Author Jenny Brunstein

Can you tell me what inspired you to write the book, Penny N’ Pals?

I used to babysit two adorable little boys who were different ages. At night, one would want to be read to and the other would want to read on their own. I wanted to create a solution to this problem which blossomed into Penny N’ Pals. The book is intended to be read in short chapters to young kids but has the advanced language to encourage more mature readers to read on their own. This solution paired with the hilarious real-life antics of my bichon, Penny, seemed like a hilarious combo to help children read more!

Can you tell me about your decision in making the book a series?

I feel that there is so much to teach kids out there and Penny is a great character for kiddos to learn from. I want to expand the series into dealing with scenarios on diversity, anxiety, and more! Hopefully, kids will not only find joy in Penny’s tales but will also learn more about how they can take on the world!

What would you like children to learn from your book?

It’s okay to sit with your feelings. Life has many ups and downs there is so much to learn from its lessons.

Any tips for parents reading this book to their children?

Enjoy the small jokes that are sprinkled in for parents :). The book also intended to have moments for them to relate too as well.