There is a certain amount of doubt in the beginning about whether they want to play together, but as their imaginations take over the adventure begins and both dolls are right in the mix of things. Their voices merge with those of their dolls, and are shown on the page in different colors and fonts. Written entirely in dialogue between the two girls, this book has a breezy quality that makes it perfect for reading aloud. It turns out that a princess might be just right for taking out a werewolf as long as she has a cunning plan! Soon Penny and Penelope are riding together on the motorcycle trying to escape, but the werewolf makes its way into the castle tower. She defeats the crocodile in the moat and then moves on to take out the werewolf lurking in the woods. When danger arrives outside the castle, Penny rushes forward. Penny is a secret agent with a motorcycle. Penelope is a very sweet princess with a tea set and a pony. When two very different girls get together for a play date, it turns out their dolls are just as different.
Recommended to all young children who enjoy games involving dolls and/or lots of imagination. The artwork from Claire Almon is colorful and cute, and I appreciated the fact that the girls were depicted as being Asian-American and African-American, as I find that most stories featuring cross-cultural/cross-racial friendships usually depict at least one of the children as Euro-American. I was not disappointed, appreciating both the fun and games in the story, and the larger message about girls (and girl dolls) being able to enjoy lots of different kinds of adventures. Having enjoyed author Dan Richards' earlier picture-book, Can One Balloon Make an Elephant Fly?, which also features the imaginative life of a child, I picked up Penny and Penelope with a happy sense of anticipation. Brought together on a play date, the two girls seem at first, through their dolls, not to appreciate one another's style, but eventually they see that both princesses and secret agents can do fun things. Two young girls, one with a Penelope Princess doll and the other with a Penny the Secret Agent doll, find a way to play happily together in this entertaining picture-book examination of childhood games of make believe.
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