Penny the Palomino Quarter Horse and Her New Shoes by Gary Scogin

Hi guys!

Welcome back to the site that believes there truly is no such thing as a non-reader, only people who haven't been introduced to the right book yet, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're stepping back into the wild and zany world of Children's Fiction with a Storybook that is sure to please.  Why?  Well there are SO many reasons I could list, but wouldn't you like to know exactly what title we're discussing first?  You know, that makes it a WHOLE lot easier when you're trying to buy it for your own shelves or to gift to a reader in the coming season.  I mean, just sayin'... ^-^  I'm kidding, I'm kidding...I mean it does, but I just want to introduce it to you properly because the amount of fun to be had inside as well as the takeaway lessons will leave you with a smile on your face.  Ladies and gents, readers of all ages, don your favorite pair of shoes and prepare to meet today's book of choice...

Penny the Palomino Quarter Horse and Her New Shoes

by

Gary Scogin

Illustrated by

Alex Ray

9781614563204

Sarah Book Publishing

Meet Penny.  She's the resident horse of this particular farm and the star of this story.  Penny prances, paws, even plays with her best pal Meekah (a dog, gotta love a story with a dog!), all while being the apple of Mr. Dollarhide's eye. One day, she overhears Mr. D (hopefully he won't mind me calling him that) talking about her on the phone....never a good situation, that is being talked about as well as listening in. *tisk tisk*  It seems Penny is getting new shoes and that's all her horsey mind needs to start conjuring up all sorts of silly and highly unusual shoe-uations.  Will it be sneakers with wheels?  Red high HIGH heels?  Well worn boots?  She couldn't begin to fathom how any of those would work.  All her worrying and fretting has her on edge until THE DAY arrives only for her to discover...Mr. Dollarhide knew what he was doing after all.

As I said, Penny is quite the charmer.  Penny is adorable...for a horse.  Okay, even if she wasn't a horse, she's adorbs (yes, slang...I use it here and there, but let's stay on track, shall we?) which speaks well of the illustrator's fine tuned hand.  Very expressive, creative, and playful all at once.  Her skepticism could be read a mile away as she pondered her new shoe options.  The illustrations really brought her to life.  The scene with her in high heels?  HI-larious...though I can't say I'd fair much better in that situation and I only have to worry about TWO legs!

All in all, it was humorous and touching in all the right places.  A great way to reassure little ones about new situations (and new shoes!), warn against eavesdropping, and teach those curious about horses the proper footwear for them to wear (lest they get any ideas about putting their shoes on old Bessie's hoofs).  The story and illustrations work hand in hand to provide a memorable experience I feel fit the target age range as well as those well beyond in years.  After all, all you truly need to enjoy a book gauged for the younger set is an active imagination....which I have in spades. ^-^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the author...

Gary Scogin is a middle school language arts teacher in Friendswood, Texas who loves getting his students excited about reading and writing. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Gary married his college sweetheart and they have two wonderful children together. They spend time each summer in the San Juan mountains of South Fork, Colorado exploring new trails, riding horses, and jumping into any creek, river, or stream that comes their way. His first book, Penny the Palomino Quarter Horse and Her New Shoes, won the award for Best First Picture Book given by Literary Classics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to the author for the SIGNED review copy.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or works in progress still to come, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Sarah Book Publishing, so be on the lookout for it on a virtual shelf of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!