Penny & Rio: The Mysterious Backyard
Meeting
Jennifer Swanson; Illustrated by Rosita Schandy &
Neal Wooten
Reviewed by A. E.
Jaskiewicz
Penny & Rio are
two dogs
with a new yard and a new home. Penny is
very active and curious about what’s going on at all times, while Rio
just wants to relax. When Penny
discovers a late night meeting of animals in her new backyard, she
decides she
needs to find out what’s going on.
Especially since the meeting is with a cat, an owl, a squirrel
and a
ground hog. When Penny finally finds out
that the cat is enlisting the help of the other animals so he can break
into
the neighbor’s house, she decides that she needs to stop them. Plus, she’s going to need some help from Rio
when it comes time to stop the other animals.
Penny
and Rio
is a charming story about some lovable pets, which kids will surely
love,
especially if they have pets of their own.
Plus, since there are several different characters, including
the daring
cat, Buster, the snooty neighbor dog Fifi, and Buster’s accomplices,
there is
sure to be someone in the book for kids to relate to.
The plot of Penny and Rio
is easy to follow. Penny discovers that
Buster the cat is trying to break into the house next door, but she
doesn’t
know why. The story is something that is
going to keep kids guessing from beginning to end, which is good for
keeping a
child’s attention. Plus, the story is
nice and teaches a positive lesson about helping others.
The characters in the story
are brought to brilliant life through both the writing and the colorful
pictures on almost every page. The
pictures help to enhance the overall story, and will help kids imagine
the
characters even more vividly. They are
able to see the curious Penny, the lazy Rio,
the determined Buster, and all the other characters.
The pictures are whimsical and sometimes even
offer a little extra humor to the story.
Penny & Rio is also a
perfect length for readers who are just starting to enter the chapter
book
phase of reading. With pictures on
almost every page, and the story written at a level most kids can
understand, this
book will help transitioning into chapter books easy for most kids. Plus, the story moves quickly, which should
also help.
Penny & Rio: The
Mysterious Backyard Meeting is a wonderful book for young readers. The story has a good message, and the
characters are lively. The length is
perfect for both kids who still need to be read to, as well as kids who
are
starting to read for themselves. The
pictures add to the enjoyment of the book, as they are bright and
colorful, and
offer a good visual for kids to see what is going on.
Overall, I would say that Penny & Rio is
an excellent book for kids.