K-Gr 4-A young boy finds a penny and puts it in his pocket, much to the irritation of the other "treasures" that reside there. Then, the perspective shifts to Penny's point of view. After being told that she is worthless by the other objects, the coin reminisces about "happier days," being tossed in a fountain, paying for candy or a pony ride, and being collected in a jar for the Red Cross. Beneath these rhyming verses, background information about the creation and use of pennies throughout United States history is presented in an extremely small font. Writing in the first person and using an enthusiastic tone ("I like pennies!"), the author asks readers to question their family members about the long-ago uses of this coin. The large, brightly colored paintings help to move the action along. Penny is depicted as a 1934 beauty with blue eyes and stick limbs. Similar in style to Loreen Leedy's Follow the Money! (Holiday, 2002), Brennan-Nelson's offering has a denser text and less appealing artwork. References in the story portion of the text will only be understood if the factual part is read or explained to children, and the tale itself is contrived. Stuck somewhere between a picture book and an informational account, this Penny is not worth saving.-Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

A penny (depicted in the sappy color illustrations as a coin with facial features and stick-figure limbs) recalls her past, which includes residing in a piggy bank, being spent at a store, and being donated as a charitable contribution. The slender fictional story is less interesting than the accompanying information about the history of pennies, which is intrusively printed in small typeface at the bottom of many pages.