There once was a girl called Sweet Penny who did exactly as she was told.
Her sister and brother disappointed her mother, but she never broke the mold.
Penny was so nice and quiet that teachers forgot she was there. Being so good, doing just what you should, that just won't get you anywhere.

Sweet Penny is so good, she would never do anything to disappoint her parents or disrupt class or upset her friends. In fact, she's so sweet, that even when bullies steal her lunch, she just quietly smiles and lets them.

And then, one day on the playground Penny's class is playing a game when a lion hops over the fence. Penny's classmates scream and scatter, but Penny was told to stay right where she was. And so she does.

And the lion eats her.

But something changes when she's in his very dark belly. She punches and kicks her way out, and when she emerges, not-so-sweet Penny will never be taken advantage of again.

Told in verse, Richard Fairgray and Alex Burke's wickedly funny picture book is a celebration of strong girls and a call to, "Be bold, be loud, shout out, and speak up," because "sometimes it's hard to be brave."

Richard Fairgray is a writer, artist and colorist, best known for his work in comic books such as Blastosaurus and Ghost Ghost, and picture books such as Gorillas in Our Midst, My Grandpa is a Dinosaur, and If I Had an Elephant. As a child he firmly believed he would grow up and eat all the candy he wanted and stay up as late as he liked. By drawing pictures when he wasn't meant to and reading all the things people told him not to, he has made this come true.

All Richard needs to be happy is a good table to draw on and a nice scanner and lamp. He now owns multiple tabes, scanners and lamps in New Zealand, USA, and Canada so he can sit down and start working wherever he wakes up.