Book Report: The Penderwicks

The Penderwicks 
A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy 
By Jeanne Birdsall

I've been wanting to post about the Penderwicks for a while now. They have stolen my heart. My sister and her daughter, my four-year-old niece, introduced me to them. My niece loves listening to the audiobook version. (I never would have thought to use audiobooks for a child so young--very cool). This conversation recently went down at their house:

My niece: "Mom, why are you sick of the Penderwicks?"
My sister: "Because we've listened to them about a thousand times."
My niece: "More like a hundred."

So, that's how enjoyable this book is. It was probably written with middle-grade children in mind, but can delight adults as well (and, apparently, four-year-olds). The Penderwick family consists of Mr. Penderwick, his four daughters, and their loyal dog Hound. (Their mother died soon after the youngest daughter was born). I won't spend much time on plot summary (because this isn't a real book report, and I'm not getting a grade :), but rather describe what I liked about the book as a whole. As in, what I would say if asked to write a blurb for the back cover of the book.

It's the kind of book that's cozy to be inside. An uplifting tale that aptly captures what it's like to be in the mind of a child. A sweet story about sisters and friends and animals and adventure. I appreciated that the writing style in no way 'talked down' to the readers. A thoroughly relaxing read that made me happy during and after the reading of it.

There are two more books in the series (The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette), and two more still to be published. I loved the sequels as much as the first, if not more. 

You can learn more about the books and the author at Jeanne Birdsall's Website.