Miss Penny and Mr. Grubbs [Paperback]

Lisa Campbell Ernst (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

For 48 years, Miss Penny and Mr. Grubbs have been neighbors. Each summer, Miss Penny's garden grows beautiful, delicious vegetables, while Mr. Grubbs's does not. This year, Mr. Grubbs decides to seek revenge with a pair of rabbits--and a fatally flawed plan! Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"As ye sow, so shall ye reap" could be the moral of this engaging picture book. For 48 years, Miss Penny's prizewinning vegetable garden has been the envy of sour neighbor Mr. Grubbs. But Grubbs sees to it that this summer will be different; at night he sets loose hungry rabbits in his unsuspecting neighbor's yard. Miss Penny tries every known anti-rabbit device, but to no avail: before long, her flourishing crops are decimated. Grubbs's produce fails as well, since he directed all his attention to destroying Miss Penny's garden rather than caring for his own. In a neat twist, Miss Penny comes out a winner and Grubbs gets an ironic comeuppance. Ernst's ( When Bluebell Sang ; Ginger Jumps ) jovial illustrations, with their pleasingly plump contours, take an equal share in telling this original tale. The sight of a dismayed Miss Penny surrounded by pudgy rabbits will delight even the most bunny-weary reader. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- After 48 summers, Mr. Grubb is sick of watching Miss Penny's garden flourish while his molders. He devises "the most evil scheme one gardener can plan against another." Under cover of darkness, the rounded, cheery-looking gent releases rabbits into her garden and sits back to watch. Despite the cruel trick, the woman (very round and very cheery) thinks positively until the end of the rabbit-fuel duel. Instead of taking prize vegetables to the county fair, she takes sleek, well-fed rabbits. Colorful, emphatic full-page cartoon-style illustrations are united thematically with small incidental events on facing pages, giving the book pleasing detail and texture. (Don't miss the telltale silhouettes on the endpapers, either.) Miss Penny, wielder of hammer, saw, and hoe, is a model of female independence. All told, the book's buoyancy and infectious visual humor make Miss Penny not only a county-fair winner, but a story time and read-alone prize as well. --Carolyn Noah, Worcester Public Library, MA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689800355
• ISBN-13: 978-0689800351
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,622,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Funny Bunny Book, March 11, 2003

By 

Dave P (USA all the way) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miss Penny & Mister Grubbs (Hardcover)

This book is about two long-time neighbors of forty-eight years, Miss Penny and Mr. Grubbs. Miss Penny is a nice lady that is an excellent gardener with a green thumb. She has won numerous prizes for her excellent vegetables. However, Mr. Grubbs is grumpy old man who doesn't share Miss Penny's talent of growing vegetables, and his vegetables are no where near her level. But like I said, he's a grumpy guy, so he plots revenge against Miss Penny by putting bunny rabbits in her backyard. I won't tell you the outcome of this story but it's a good book to read so you'll just have to find out for yourself!

4.0 out of 5 stars MISS PENNY AND MR. GRUBBS, December 10, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Miss Penny and Mr. Grubbs (Paperback)

The book starts with Mr. Grubb being mad at Mrs. Penny becasue her garden grew huge vegetables and his did not. He said that this year it would be different. He said that he was going to do every thing he could do to make his garden better then hers. He put rabbits in her garden. When she put up a fence Mr. Grubbs cut it and put more rabbits in her garden. While he was trying to destroy Mrs. Penny's garden he forgot to water and take care of his own garden. Now that all of the rabbits had eaten her vegetables she had no vegetable to enter in the fair. So instead of a vegetable she took the rabbits and ended up winning first prize.
A great book for teaching a lesson on doing bad things to others. Nothing good comes out of it.

4.0 out of 5 stars MISS PENNY AND MR. GRUBBS, December 10, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Miss Penny and Mr. Grubbs (Paperback)

The book starts with Mr. Grubb being mad at Mrs. Penny becasue her garden grew huge vegetables and his did not. He said that this year it would be different. He said that he was going to do every thing he could do to make his garden better then hers. He put rabbits in her garden. When she put up a fence Mr. Grubbs cut it and put more rabbits in her garden. While he was trying to destroy Mrs. Penny's garden he forgot to water and take care of his own garden. Now that all of the rabbits had eaten her vegetables she had no vegetable to enter in the fair. So instead of a vegetable she took the rabbits and ended up winning first prize.
A great book for teaching a lesson on doing bad things to others. Nothing good comes out of it.