Penny and the Little Lost Puppy

Penny and the Little Lost Puppy play in Penny’s garden on the first day she moves to her new home. Penny is worried about the move, missing her new friends and conscious of being alone. Yet the little dog wants t’o play and play and play’. It makes Penny look forward to playing again the next day. However there is no sign of the little dog. Where might he be?

When Dad suggests a walk into the village, Penny takes the opportunity to ask the new neighbourhood if they recognise the little dog. Although the grocer doesn’t know the the dog, he shares a ‘fuzzy peach’ with Penny, while the ‘man in the flower [doesn’t] know the dog either, but [gives] Penny a sunflower’… There is nothing at the bakery, but an iced bun for Penny, while the park is full of dogs but none like Penny’s little dog. Where might it be? 

Emily Sutton’s Penny and the Little Lost Puppy is a thoughtful, empathetic exploration of a new home, surroundings and beginnings. It offers us a snapshot of realising a new world through someone else’s eyes and tread. The sumptuous, detailed pictures are glorious; we really are taking a tour with Penny and her Dad as they realise the opportunities of their new home. Yet the little lost dog, what might he be leading Penny toward? What an aware and caring storybook!  s