Review: Princess Penelope's Purse of Preposterous Things
I was scrolling Instagram one day and came across a post about a book series: Princess Penelope's Purse of Preposterous Things.
I loved the glitter detailing on the book cover and the cute characters..."How cute is this!," I thought! Little did I know that the stories inside would be just as wonderful.
Princess Penelope’s Purse of Preposterous Things is a fun and whimsical children’s book series about Princess Penelope, a curious little kitten whose magical purse is always filled with unexpected surprises.
Each story follows Penelope as she uses her imagination, creativity, and a little help from her friends to solve problems and get through sticky situations.
Book One of this series starts off with Penelope the kitten just being her kind self. She loves helping her friends in Storybook Meadow with whatever they need.
I love that the author doesn't just make Penelope a "fixer." She's intelligent and inquisitive.
Not only that, she has values and sets boundaries. This is great for children to see! When Dragon shows up on the scene and begins roaring his orange flames, scaring Penelope's friends, she tells him to stop.
Dragon pushes back and says, "Dragon's gotta do what dragon's gotta do!" He makes an excuse: "Breathing fire is what I do!"
Penelope fires back: "I'm asking you kindly to please stop."
Penelope isn't just curious, helpful, and kind: she is brave. She stands firm! She defends others and knows how to keep herself safe.
She's showing children that if someone is doing something they don't like- whether it be a sibling making a ton of noise at bedtime or a friend grabbing their favorite toy out of their hands- they can tell them to stop and mean it.
At this point in the story, Dragon decides to leave. But why is he crying?
While her friends are celebrating her victory, Penelope begins to wonder: Does Dragon need help?
In the next part of the story, Penelope and her friends are preparing for a royal castle ball. On the way to the castle, she notices a a door carved into a cherry blossom tree. Inside, a surprise for her awaits.
Mother Nature has noticed how kind Penelope is and has gifted her with a Purse of Preposterous Things! This is no ordinary bag. It wiggles whenever an act of kindness is needed and fills with just what she will need for the task at hand.
This is just the tool she needs to help others even more.
This part of the book is so special because Penelope's naturals gift of care and kindness are elevated with this otherwordly assistance. This part of the book felt very allegorical in nature. I love C.S. Lewis books, especially The Chronicles of Narnia. This moment in Princess Penelope's Purse made of me think of when the children The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe are given gifts that correspond to their callings in life.
This part of the book feels like a very age-appropriate introduction to the concept of "your gifts make room for you" from Proverbs 18:16. This is about how God will open doors in your life to help you fulfill who you were meant to be.
In this moment, Penelope is stepping into who she is meant to be...a kind, brave, helper and with supernatural help!
The story continues with Penelope stumbling across Dragon again. She notices that he looks more sad than angry and asks just the right questions to find out what is stopping him from being who HE is meant to be.
Penelope is no people pleaser. She lets Dragon gets to the place where he realizes he needs help and asks for it, and then Penelope offers a solution... with the help of her new accessory!
Interesting items appear in the purse and the reader then has a chance to guess which ones might help Dragon.
I won't ruin the ending, but Dragon does figure out that he can contribute rather than be a problem to his new group of friends.
This story helps children think about how to include kids who might not be part of the group. Maybe they seem difficult, don't know how to socialize, or have offended a group member. Rather than exclude, Penelope models true community by helping an outsider make their way in.
I also love that Dragon has to own his mistakes and truly change. This is a great lesson in appropriate forgiveness.
All in all, this is a great book and I'm excited to keep reading this series!
Your children will love the dynamic illustrations, the fun-loving characters, and will learn how to be thoughtful, fearless, and kind.
Check the back of the book for hidden treasures!
You can find the Princess Penelope books on Amazon and here: https://princesspenelope.com
Princess Penelope's Purse books ar written by Angela C. Santomero and published by 4U2B Books.
Review by Bunmi Laditan. Bunmi Laditan is a blogger who loves all things children's books. She has a Bachelor's in Psychology from California Baptist University. She lives with her husband, three children, and two cats. Contact her here or at @honestlyBunmi on Instagram.
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