One day Penny finds a marble. It's pretty and blue, and she loves it right away. So Penny takes the marble home. But does the marble really belong to Penny?

This is sort of a junior version of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. Penny takes a marble she find in the grass and then feels sick with guilt that she may have stolen it.

The ending isn't quite as cute as [b:Penny and Her Doll|13614644|Penny and Her Doll|Kevin Henkes|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335223433s/13614644.jpg|19215220], but this book is definitely another shining example of Henkes' gift for writing great stories for very young readers where every word counts. ( )

I love Kevin Henkes's illustrations in all of his mouse books. I did wonder however why Penny didn't ask about the marble from the outset if she was so worried about it. ( )

In this book, Henkes shows how children use their imagination to take them to other places. He illustrates Penny's imagination taking over reality as she strolls her doll down the sidewalk. I like this book because I think that it is important that children use their imagination. I also like how Henkes teaches the lesson of not taking something that isn't yours in a very light and innocent way. ( )

Penny is out walking her doll Rose when she finds a shiny, bright blue marble in Mrs. Goodwin's front yard. She picks it up and takes it home, but is then consumed by guilt and returns it - only to have Mrs. Goodwin encourage her to keep it. ( )