Penny & Pip by Candace Fleming

Abstract

Reviewed by: Penny & Pip by Candace Fleming Natalie Berglind Fleming, Candace Penny & Pip; illus. by Eric Rohmann. Dlouhy/Atheneum, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781665913317 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781665913324 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-7 yrs While visiting the natural history museum and checking out the dinosaur exhibit with her class, Penny spots something no one else does—a cracking egg. Out springs a tiny, long-necked green dinosaur baby, whom Penny quickly dubs "Pip," just like the noises he makes. Pip follows Penny around, partaking in the cheese crackers she was supposed to eat for lunch and admiring the exhibits with her. When it's time to go, Penny hatches (ahem) a plan involving a stuffed animal mix-up at the gift shop to take Pip home. Rohmann's art, sketched with pencil on frosted mylar, is dreamy, with soft, smudgy lines, and most pages utilize white space to focus on the two new friends themselves, with Pip's expressive and inquisitive expressions and Penny's curly updo, pink polka-dot dress, and bright yellow rain boots. While one wonders what Penny's adults think when she brings home a little dino or whether Penny's active imagination procured Pip as an imaginary friend, this sweet little picture book acts out a fantasy of dino companionship that many kiddos visiting a museum likely share. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois