Title: Penny and Peter
Author: Carolyn Haywood
Major Themes: Early Readers
Synopsis: Penny and Peter, now really-truly brothers, have many fun times together, and with their friend Patsy.
When my second son was around six years old, Carolyn Haywood was his favorite author. I found a number of her books at the library, and read them all to him. I had forgotten about her in the years since then, but when I recently read Here’s a Penny to my fifth son, I was reminded of how my older boy had loved them. And, when I started reading Penny and Peter to the younger boy, the older one made sure, if at all possible, that he was around to hear these delightful stories again—even though he is now fourteen!
Penny and Peter is not an exciting detective story; there really isn’t a connected plot through the book at all. However, it is real-life stories of two very real little boys. These little boys, who are maybe seven or eight years old, and their friend Patsy, love their parents and want to obey and help them. They find themselves in scrapes at times, and must figure out how to remedy the problem. The most memorable has to be the time Penny and Peter caught a big basketful of crabs the morning they were to go back home to the city after a month of vacation on the seashore, and took the crabs with them on the train! Of course, the basket tipped, and the crabs scuttled under the seats, and Penny and Peter had to catch them . . . .
First published in 1946, Penny and Peter is a beautiful glimpse of children living in a less-restricted time than we find ourselves in today. Your young child will love this collection of stories!
WARNING: I noticed words like “gee” a few times.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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