One Proud Penny

by Randy Siegel, Serge Bloch (Illustrator)

Overview

Who knew the life of a penny could be so exciting?

Born in 1983, our copper (well, zinc and copper as we find out) narrator travels everywhere from New York City to Portland, Oregon, to Puerto Rico describing in colorful detail his many adventures along the way.

Randy Siegel's quirky, informative text mixed with Serge Bloch's spare but exuberant illustrations (which make use of real pennies) make this book a must-have for lovers of American history or just a good story.

A Neal Porter Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250148698
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/10/2017
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	24 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Randy Siegel is the author of Grandma's Smile and My Snake Blake for Roaring Brook Press. He has written for newspapers and magazines around the country and works for Advance Publications in New York City.

Serge Bloch has won a gold medal at the Society of Illustrators and created art for numerous adult and children's books. He also illustrates for The New York Times and the Boston Globe among other publications. For Roaring Brook Press, he has illustrated My Snake Blake and Saturday. He lives in Paris.

Randy Siegel is the author of Grandma's Smile for Roaring Brook Press, which Publisher'sWeekly called, "a wry and contemporary reality check on the going-to-Grandma's genre." Siegel has written for newspapers and magazines around the country and works for Advance Publications in New York City.
Serge Bloch is a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal winner and the recipient of France's Baobab Award. He illustrated Susie Morgenstern's A Book of Coupons, named an ALA Batchelder Honor Book, and has written and illustrated numerous books for children and young adults. He lives in Paris.

Editorial Reviews

"Worth every penny."—Kirkus

"While a nuisance to many adults, for young children, pennies are still the available currency, and this strikes just the right note for that audience."—Booklist

"Siegel does a sterling job of conjuring up an emotional life for this ubiquitous coin."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2016-09-19
A penny’s rough-and-tumble escapades lead to unexpected ends in Siegel and Bloch’s engaging picture book.The protagonist penny’s journey begins in Philadelphia, where the United States Mint manufactures most U.S. pennies. “Born” in 1983, Siegel’s diminutive protagonist visits different parts of the U.S. spanning Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, “plus Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico,” and including a garage floor in Green Bay and a stamp machine in Ohio. Most of the time people just plain overlook this plucky one-cent coin. “I hated being alone and forgotten.” After the penny ends up in a jar with other unfortunate coins, it reminisces about the past, when things weren’t so expensive. Though Siegel’s text often dwells on the neglect and (comically overwrought) abuse inflicted on the penny-protagonist, the author does also appeal to the coin’s historical roots, sprinkling in moments of levity and informative goodness. (One marvelous spread even outlines the different metals used to create pennies throughout the years.) Luckily, Bloch’s off-kilter, at times almost grotesque, pen-and-Photoshop illustrations provide some much-needed chuckles, featuring various people and animals with contorted faces and wacky scenarios. Still, it’s all about the wonders of the penny, and Siegel’s protagonist proves an excellent ambassador. “Some folks think pennies are worthless, but I know we are worth a lot.” Here’s a book sure to convince some readers. Worth every penny. (historical note, selected facts, resources) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews