After 17 years at Penworthy, I have found that I do indeed have some favorite authors and one super favorite illustrator: Lynn Munsinger, who brings Helen Lester's adorable and hilarious story to life.  "Wodney Wat" (Rodney Rat) has a speech impediment.  Both the first book (Hooway for Wodney Wat) and this sequel address the issue that some children have trouble pronouncing the letter "r"…and that sometimes, children who are "different" are bullied.

Wodney receives a very helpful robot for his birthday, which assists Wodney in translating his "w's" to "r's". However, when the robot stops working and Wodney's impediment becomes more obvious, Camilla Capybara steps up her teasing. In the end, the robot unintentionally teaches Camilla a bit of a lesson!  It's a super fun read aloud, and the illustrations are filled with details that bring the rodents to life. This would be a great choice to spark a discussion about different abilities and treating others with kindness.

By Roxane Goldman, Penworthy Representative

Here at Penworthy, we are thankful for books, libraries, and librarians. We'll be closed on Thursday and Friday (11/23 and 11/24) in observance of Thanksgiving - here's wishing you and your loved ones a very healthy and happy holiday!

And as you are no doubt aware, the latest Star Wars film (The Last Jedi) will be in theaters on December 15th. Here are a few resources you may find useful:

• Free Star Wars printable banner letters
• Star Wars word search - free download from Teachers Pay Teachers
• Elementary-age Star Wars library program - blog post by a youth services librarian
• Free printable light saber bookmarks

And of course we have a great Star Wars collection, including Look and Finds, chapter books, and readers. May the force be with you!

My Penworthy Pick is Duck for Turkey Day, an adorable, multicultural story about Thanksgiving and the different ways we all celebrate. Tuyet’s class is preparing for Thanksgiving in the usual ways: singing turkey songs, making pinecone turkeys, and learning about the holiday’s history. Tuyet is excited, until she’s crushed to discover that her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner rather than turkey. How will it be a real Thanksgiving feast? But Tuyet ends up enjoying her family’s Thanksgiving meal, even without the turkey. After the holiday, her teacher asks the students to share stories about each of their celebrations. It turns out that a wide variety of non-turkey dinners were enjoyed by her classmates and their families on Thanksgiving: lamb, chicken and noodles, and even a tofu turkey. Of course, the one thing everyone’s holiday meal had in common was enjoying the love and company of family.

This is a sensitive and engaging story which most children will be able to relate to, no matter their cultural background. Tuyet clearly loves her family and wants to be respectful of their traditions, and her worries are touching and vivid. This is a great choice for reading aloud during the holiday season, or for starting a discussion with students about embracing diverse cultures - particularly their own.

By Dawn Marowsky, Penworthy Representative

"I believe that the important message of picture book month is that the picture book is an enduring piece of literature, a magical combination of words and art, whose impact on literacy is unparalleled." – Diane de Las Casas

Happy Picture Book Month! Did you know that you can apply a "twibbon" to your Twitter or Facebook profile picture to spread the word? And that it's really fun to say twibbon? Also, you may want to check out these completely magical illustrations based on favorite picture books from a very talented group of artists (the above drawing is from one of them).

Other upcoming events of interest include:

• A free webcast from SLJ on 11/16 with "insight from STREAM practitioners and tips on integrating science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, and math." 
• The 2017 Hour of Code takes place during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 4-10) - it's not too late to sign up to host an event.
• The countdown to World Read Aloud Day 2018 has begun!

And fittingly, all of our 8x8 Penworthy Prebound picture books are discounted by 20% through 11/11 - enjoy!