Penny by Penny

Penny by Penny - Making Your Dreams Come True, is an inspired story about Julia and Jay, sister and brother who find a penny and begin to dream. Family and friends show the kids their penny banks and also imagine how they would spend their pennies - from buying a fluffy puppy for Sara, a new wheelchair for Dad, to swimming lessons for Jay, or dancing shoes for grandma. Rita N. Rhine has written and illustrated this charming children's book that encourages kids to start saving and penny by penny they can make their dreams come true, too.

Penny by Penny is a heart-warming children's story about a sister and brother who learn together how to save. The children are motivated to help their disabled father reach for his dreams too. Grandma will want to buy this colorful book for the grandkids.

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

I love penny banks; it seems almost everyone has a penny bank! Do you? Finding out where and what each of these folks were saving for is the story written for children of all ages. Owning a piggy bank is a wonderful idea.

This story is of a mother, sister, brother, good friends, a father, a Grandpa and a Grandma all saving their pennies to make their dreams come true. Each of them dreaming of what they would save their pennies for: maybe to ride with all the racing bikes in France, saving for a new puppy, or traveling to Germany to visit, maybe hoping to learn to walk again and not using a wheelchair, taking swimming lessons, buying a grand piano, saving for a new car, or wanting to dance in new shoes!

In telling this story it all started with my friend, and mentor a New York Times reporter who read the basic script in 2003 then encouraged me to make some text changes as the book slowly came together. The story is slightly autobiographical. We worked at a senior center together where he was learning how to use computers.

I took many photos of the piggy banks which was the first step. Then creating the images of the illustrations were a longer process which went through many revisions and many artistic blocks. The names I chose were all anonymous but the dreams each had were very individual and personal.

Waiting for the right time faded many times, due to family deaths, traveling, making a few major relocations moves, minor health issues, facing fires, evacuations and finally the pandemic, all which took a toll on my creative motivations. But I wanted to try and finish before my 82nd birthday. Which I have done!

Rita N. Rhine

The Author and Illustrator

2021