Poor Penny. She's come up with a beautiful song, a wonderful song, the --- dare I say it? --- perfect song. When she comes home from school, all she wants to do is sing it, for her Mama or her Papa…even for her baby siblings.

But the babies are napping, and Penny needs to be quiet. And --- as she discovers when she sings the song to herself in her room --- her song isn't quite as perfect without an audience to hear it. Once the babies are up, it's dinner time, and (naturally) there's no singing at the table. Can Penny find the patience to wait until the perfect time to sing her perfect song?

Kevin Henkes, who won the Caldecott Medal for KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON in 2005, returns to a picture book featuring his trademark mice (like Owen, Lilly and Chrysanthemum) in PENNY AND HER SONG. Penny's challenges are gorgeously illustrated in cheerful springtime colors, and Henkes has mastered the technique of expressing a multitude of emotions just with his characters' expressive eyes or body language.

The message of Henkes's book is clear --- the very best things can come to those who wait --- but the moral of the story is hardly the point here. Instead, Penny serves as a great role model for kids who might find it hard to wait (especially when younger siblings are involved), and her family serves as great role models for celebrating special moments every day.

Henkes breaks up his picture book into two short chapters, and the book's trim size suggests "early reader." Certainly the manageable text and plentiful pictures will give brand-new readers a sense of accomplishment similar to Penny's own, but this book is also tailor-made for families interested in reading --- and maybe even singing --- aloud.