The story centres around a grey, long-eared rabbit who wears a purple bow tie and glasses named Rodney. Rodney loves to draw more than anything else and has a favourite pen which he calls Penny. One day he loses Penny and goes on a crazy search for Penny which escalates quickly.
In the story has Rodney discover his pen is missing and instead of performing a methodical search or asking for help, he wastes energy doing a wild search which only makes a mess and causes damage. At the end he is unable to locate his pen, he then throws a tantrum which causes his pen to fall on the table from behind his ear. This bad behaviour displayed in the book can be used as a teaching tool to show children how not to act when things go wrong and to think about their actions. However, in the end, Rodney’s tantrum leads to him finding his pen, which might show children that throwing a tantrum can work. He also did not learn his lesson as after finding his pen he loses his glasses, and on the last page we see him about to have another tantrum. His behaviour can be used in a discussion with a child about appropriate behaviour however, I feel the story would be a more effective learning tool if Rodney learnt that tantrums do not get you what you want.
The text is large and easy to read, always placed on a background which allows it to stand out. There is rhythm and rhyming which makes it easy and fun to read-aloud or together. However, some of the language used might confuse younger readers; on page one “tedious” is used, this word is above some under six children’s reading level. Also, on page twenty-one the word “caper” is used. I needed to search for the definition, which is a “playful skipping movement”. In the illustration Rodney is dancing, and since I was not aware of the definition, then I believe children and some adult readers might also be confused. I also considered whether it was a spelling error and was meant to read “paper” which would also fit the context.
The simple, colourful illustrations provide a character full of energy and personality. The unfussy design allows children to easily spot objects from the story such as items previously mentioned at the beginning for example the slinky dangling from the chandelier. The illustration builds on the story but also add to the jokes such as seeing that Penny is behind Rodney’s ear the whole time.
I found this, for the most part, a fun, easy read that both children and adults can enjoy and have a laugh. The illustration and story work well together matching and building on each other. With a fun, passionate character and relatable story it offers a chance to teach a lesson and help children think about their action. There is room for improvement to make the lesson more effective. It is a good book that will resonate with its target audience of 0-6yrs old’s and make an acceptable addition to a library’s collection.