BobQuasit reviewed Mister Penny by Marie Hall Ets (Mister Penny, #1)
A heartwarming story for children, ideal for reading aloud
5 stars
My parents read this book to me many times as a toddler and child; I read it to my son in turn. It's an •amazing• book. I can't think of a better one to read to a young child. I've read it to groups of children, and they always •love• it.
Written and illustrated by Marie Hall Ets, this is the story of an old man who works in a factory all day long to support his family of animals: Limpy the horse, Mooloo the cow, Splop the goat, Mimkin the lamb, Pugwug the pig, Chukluk the hen, and Doody the rooster.
The personalities of the animals are all so strong and clear that they're an absolute pleasure to read aloud. I use voices for each, and have recorded myself reading it.
The animals break into their neighbor's garden one day and go on an eating spree. But the neighbor …
My parents read this book to me many times as a toddler and child; I read it to my son in turn. It's an •amazing• book. I can't think of a better one to read to a young child. I've read it to groups of children, and they always •love• it.
Written and illustrated by Marie Hall Ets, this is the story of an old man who works in a factory all day long to support his family of animals: Limpy the horse, Mooloo the cow, Splop the goat, Mimkin the lamb, Pugwug the pig, Chukluk the hen, and Doody the rooster.
The personalities of the animals are all so strong and clear that they're an absolute pleasure to read aloud. I use voices for each, and have recorded myself reading it.
The animals break into their neighbor's garden one day and go on an eating spree. But the neighbor catches them; they manage to escape, but that hardly settles the matter. The neighbor goes to Mister Penny and demand that he either give up his animals for the neighbor to slaughter, or do a huge amount of work on his land. But Mister Penny spends all day working in the factory, and can't do all the work without giving up his job—in which case he and his animals would starve!
How the animals solve the problem and make up for their naughtiness is a lovely, heartwarming story. The humor is delightful and the illustrations are simply perfect.
There were two sequels, "Mister Penny's Race Horse" (1956) and "Mister Penny's Circus" (1961). They're both charming, but "Mister Penny" is magical.
The book hasn't been in print for at least fifty years, more likely sixty or seventy; I'm not sure why that is. Perhaps it's because Mister Penny smokes a pipe. Or because the art is black and white. Who knows? The book will enter the public domain in 1931, I believe, but by then there may not be many copies left in the world. I've found the occasional copy for sale online and in library book sales, but I'd hate to see a book that's so precious to me be forgotten.