Penny Lee and Her TV

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

McCoy, Glenn. 2002. Penny Lee and Her TV. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Penny Lee loves to watch TV. She loves it so much that the television has become her entire life. She has no friends and sleeps on top of the television set. Her dog, Mr. Barkley vies for Penny’s attention but with no success. One day, the TV breaks and Mr. Barkley helps Penny take the television to the repair shop. On the way, Penny discovers the world around her and the various activities she has been missing.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Penny Lee and Her TV is a whimsical story about a young girl who spends all of her time watching television. She believes that her life is perfect until her television breaks. Once this happens a series of events take place that introduce Penny to the many fun activities she has been missing by sitting in front of the television. This story is fun for children to read or listen to because it does seem like an incredible idea. The true lesson behind the book is that our youth do spend too much time watching television and not enough time playing outdoors. Introducing this book to children can allow them to recognize that there is a little bit of Penny Lee in all of us and it could inspire some of them to play outside and use their imagination. The most important lesson that children of all ages can take away from this picture book is do not ignore your pets. Glenn McCoy also provides fantastic cartoonish illustrations to emphasize his story. The colorful pictures compliment the story and helps add to the humor of the book.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS:

From Publishers Weekly:
Clever cartoons with a slapstick edge enliven newcomer McCoy's one-note tale about a child TV addict who's forced to quit her tube habit cold turkey. The TV is Penny Lee's "best friend.... Penny Lee even slept on top of it. And while she snoozed, her dreams would have commercial breaks." Her lonesome pooch, Mr. Barkley, tries to get her attention (parents don't seem to exist); in one cartoon, he rides a motorcycle, Evel Knievel-style, through a flaming hoop atop her TV, to no avail. When the TV abruptly stops working (and Mr. Barkley feigns serious attempts as diagnostician rubber gloves and all), the canine finds ways to entertain Penny Lee as they walk the TV to a repair shop. Among other diversions, they jump rope with the TV cord, draw sidewalk pictures of fire hydrants and superheroes, and swim in a pond, using the lifeless TV as a diving board. McCoy's caricatures amuse with large heads, bulbous noses and ever-expressive furrowed brows and round eyes. However, the premise of a kid tricked out of her taste for TV may resonate more with parents than with children. Ages 4-7.
From School Library Journal:
PreSchool-Grade 3-Parents are always looking for ways to get their children away from the television set. This book deals with just this situation without the nagging that adults are prone to do. Penny Lee watches TV all day and sleeps on it all night. All her activities take place in front of it. Her dog, Mr. Barkley, tries everything to get her attention but is unable to compete with the tube. One day, Penny Lee wakes to find her set cold and dark, and Mr. Barkley suggests taking it to the repair shop. Once outside, the child discovers the world. She finds that everything is bright and colorful and tries to adjust the light with the TV remote. On the way to the shop, she sees girls jumping rope and, with Mr. Barkley twirling, jumps the television cord. Through the course of the day, the TV plays less of a role in Penny's activities, and when she and her pup return to the shop to pick the set up and find the store closed, Penny Lee isn't even upset. "That night her dreams were commercial free." The cartoon art is lively and engaging. At the beginning of the story, the television takes center stage in every scene. Later, it is smaller and in the background, showing its diminishing role in the girl's life. This is a humorous and entertaining tale that kids and parents alike will enjoy.
Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA