Poppy's Pants

Penelope’s Poppy always wears khaki pants. When he finds a hole in one pair, he asks Penelope to patch it up. She likes to sew . . . but this is a big job. Penelope struggles, but with a little help from her mama, she gets the job done.
 
Helps kids who find it frustrating when they cannot complete a large task, by showing how if they stick with it, they will be able to take great pride in their accomplishment. Poppy’s Pants is a satisfying story for any child who tries to accomplish something difficult.

Poppy's Pants-- Penelope's poppy always wears khaki pants. When he finds a hole in one pair, he asks Penelope to patch it up. Penelope likes to sew . . . but this is a big job. Penelope struggles, but with a little help from her mama, she gets the job done.

Doll-maker Melissa Conroy makes her picture-book debut with a friendly and off-beat cast of doll characters, featured in artwork layered with photographs and illustrations. This charming story is followed by a postscript from Melissa's father, the writer Pat Conroy, which gives a personal, behind-the-scenes description of the book's characters and author.

Publishers Weekly

Conroy, a textile artist and the daughter of Pat Conroy—he contributes an afterword—makes her authorial debut with an extremely slight domestic comedy starring her line of WoOberry handmade dolls. Her heroine, an aspiring seamstress with the eccentrically capitalized name of pEnelope, is charged by her father, pOppy (who “spends many hours at his desk writing something”), to mend his pants; the story wanders here and there as pEnelope muses upon which color of thread to choose and how best to mend the hole. The dolls, photographed in whimsical hand-drawn and collaged environments, have a sweet, toys-come-to-life appeal, and their apple dumpling faces are surprisingly expressive. When pEnelope's frustration with sewing becomes a full-fledged rage, her sharply angled eyebrows, stitched frown and flying pigtails telegraph fury (“pEnelope throws the pants on the ground and jumps up and down on them. She feels better”). But the story, which seems to be about patience, persistence and thinking creatively, feels even woollier than the characters' fabrication. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

Melissa Conroy began sewing when she was in second grade and she hasn't stopped since. She is the designer and producer of woOberry dolls, a line of characters each with their own name and story. To learn more, please visit www.wooberry.com.