Call Me Penny Pickleberry
A Story to Help Kids Manage Worries
by Meghan Grana
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Pub Date Sep 06 2022 | Archive Date Sep 04 2022
Girl Friday Productions | Bird Upstairs Books
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Description
And that’s when it started . . . the inside-out squeezing, pulsing, whirly feeling in Penelope’s belly.
Meet Penelope Pickleberry, first-grader extraordinaire. Penelope can do lots of things, like pack her own snack and tie her shoelaces in under thirty seconds. But Penelope has one huge problem—Nelly, the negative voice in her head that tells her about bad things that might happen.
At the final game of the soccer season, Nelly’s I-just-can’t message is getting louder. Luckily, Penelope also has Penny, the positive, confidence-boosting voice inside her that tells her to be brave and persevere. Will Nelly win the battle? Or will Penny’s words of encouragement prove more powerful?
This fun and relatable picture book helps kids manage childhood anxiety by learning to quiet their negative self-talk and listen to their own Penny, the inner voice that fills them with the courage to conquer everyday obstacles.
Includes “A Guide for Shushing Your Nelly”— practical tips to help children overcome anxious thoughts.
A Note From the Publisher
Meghan Grana has been an advocate for students and families across the United States for nearly two decades. She holds a master's degree in speech language and hearing science and has served students with a broad range of communication issues, including learning disabilities, autism, cognitive impairments, language disabilities, and social-emotional disorders.
Recognizing that the greatest factor in overall student achievement is social-emotional wellness, Grana became certified as a Pupil Personnel Worker (PPW) in Maryland in 2018. As a PPW, she works in Student and Family Support and Engagement at one of the largest school districts in the country, serving thousands of families just north of Washington, D.C. She partners with families, students, and school-based staff in the areas of attendance and engagement, access to community resources, mental health, discipline and behavior, homelessness, and crisis support.
Recognizing that the greatest factor in overall student achievement is social-emotional wellness, Grana became certified as a Pupil Personnel Worker (PPW) in Maryland in 2018. As a PPW, she works in Student and Family Support and Engagement at one of the largest school districts in the country, serving thousands of families just north of Washington, D.C. She partners with families, students, and school-based staff in the areas of attendance and engagement, access to community resources, mental health, discipline and behavior, homelessness, and crisis support.
Advance Praise
"Call Me Penny Pickleberry is a gift for any child struggling with anxiety. Grana’s sensitive and charming story empowers children to become their own cheerleaders. And the inclusion of simple practices for reorienting negative thoughts and supporting self-confidence is invaluable. A must-have book for school libraries!"
—Kitty O’Meara, author of And the People Stayed Home and The Rare, Tiny Flower
“Call Me Penny Pickleberry is an intentionally written story that provides context and explanation at a developmentally appropriate level of how some children experience anxiety. As a person who has experienced anxiety for their entire life, this would have been an extremely helpful tool to explain what was going on. By breaking down Penelope’s inner monologue into two voices (positive and negative), author Meghan Grana reinforces the idea that we are not our anxiety.” —Corrie-Locke Hardy, The Tiny Activist
Marketing Plan
Prepublication buzz campaign
Digital galley distribution on Edelweiss and NetGalley
Trade advertising
Target outreach to blogs and websites
Listing and pricing promotions run through Bird Upstairs’ Aerio store
Social media posts to support pre-order, book launch, and book reviews
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781954854581 |
| PRICE | $17.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 32 |
Average rating from 22 members
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