February 12 – Lost Penny Day

Happy Lost Penny Day!

Jenny Found a Penny written by Trudy Harris and illustrated by John Hovell (2007)

Jenny saves her money to buy something special at the dollar store. She finds a penny and puts it in her pickle jar, then she finds four more pennies. She earns two nickels watching her little brothers and a dime sweeping the porch. Uncle Ned gives her a quarter and she earns a half-dollar doing chores around the house. Now she has enough to go back to the dollar store. But she forgot about the tax and she was seven cents short. And worse, on her way out of the store with her change in the pickle jar, Jenny trips and falls and breaks the jar scattering her coins all over the sidewalk. Jenny stoops down to pick everything up and finds an extra dime. Now she has enough to go back inside and buy a plastic piggy bank!

It’s Probably Penny written and illustrated by Loreen Leedy (2007)

Mr. Jayson teaches his class about chance. He explains the possibility of choosing a green jelly bean from a group of all green jelly beans is certain, while choosing a green jelly bean from a group of mixed colored jelly beans is only possible, and the chance of choosing a green jelly bean from a group without green jelly beans in it is impossible. The kids learn about equal and unequal chances and then assigns homework for the weekend. They must make a prediction and record the results. Rosa  thinks of ways she can use her dog Penny to help her with her homework. She correctly predicts that Penny will want to go on a walk, that she will probably bark at a squirrel, and that she will not see a shark. At home she also learns that when her peanut butter sandwich is missing, it’s probably Penny. She knows there’s a tiny chance that Penny could become a movie star, but that it’s impossible for her to become the president of the United States. Rosa works hard on her homework all weekend making funny predictions for Penny.

Angelina’s Lucky Penny written by Katharine Holabird and illustrated by Helen Craig (2006)

Angelina wants to be the lead in the ballet but she doesn’t want to practice. She found a lucky penny and she’s sure that the penny will give her all the luck she needs to land the part. Angelina went to the movies instead. She showed her cousin the lucky penny, but when she went to put it in her bag in the dark theater, she accidentally dropped it on the floor instead. On the way home from the movie, Priscilla and her twin sister tease Angelina for believing in a lucky penny and then Priscilla shows her how well she can twirl. At home Angelina realizes that she is going to have to practice to beat Priscilla, especially now that she doesn’t have the lucky penny. Just before practice the next day, Angelina’s cousin gives her a lucky penny. Priscilla was the first to audition and she was perfect. Angelina held her breath and did her best. When Miss Lilly announced the parts, Angelina had earned the lead. It wasn’t until they were home that her cousin showed Angelina his penny jar. It wasn’t Angelina’s lucky penny that helped her get the part, it was the practice!