Petunia Pepper's Picture Day is a morally engaging story about how outside appearances are not that important.

Petunia is determined that this years school pictures are going to be perfect! Every school picture she has taken to date, has been marred in some way, according to Petunia. From the powder puffy hair to her puffy pink eye, Petunia just hasn't had much luck in taking a good picture.

On the morning of the big day, Petunia is dressed, primped and preemed and feeling good about herself but when the syrup dribbles on her lap at breakfast and she misses her school bus, you just know that Petunia's day is not going as she had hoped. A couple adventures later and Petunia arrives at school completely in a mess and cannot get her photo taken at all. Heartbroken, Petunia sits and wathces as her class take their photos. However, the next day, Petunia is in the newspaper and she becomes the "star" of the hour.

I loved the bright, colourful and cartoony-like illustrations in the book. The moral message that you are who you are, is evident as you read. This is a delightful, value-building book to read to your youngsters . There are many phonetically sounding aspects of the book, like the frequent use of the letter P, as well as, biblical scriptures to back up the message that the book is trying to convey! ( )

Petunia Pepper has never had much luck when it came to getting her school picture taken. In her first ever picture she had puffy hair, the next year a missing tooth, and last year she had a case of pink eye. Petunia wants a perfect picture Mom can proudly place on the piano in the parlor. Petunia prepares to make sure picture day is perfect. Her hair looks great, the bow is just right, her shoes polished to a nice sheen, and her purple dress is beautiful. Petunia is sure her second grade picture will be perfect. This year, Petunia will look the way she wants to look.

Petunia finds out she cannot always control how she looks. She gets into so much misfortune on the way to school her teacher will not allow her to get a picture taken this year. How awful for Petunia. The next morning she awakes to find that all the trials she faced the day before have made her a hero. Her picture is on the front page of the local paper. At school, all her classmates want her signature on their copy of the paper. Petunia had a perfect picture day after all.

This is a cute story about accepting yourself as you are. Petunia never liked the way she looked on the outside, forgetting what she looked like on the inside. She also forgot that God made her just the way he wanted her, so everyday can be a perfect picture day. When her picture was in the paper, wearing the same outfit her teacher scoffed at, Petunia realized that “every day can be a perfect picture day.” It is a nice lesson in acceptance. The illustrations, which show Petunia’s mishaps in all their glory, add to the humor. Kids will laugh at each thing Petunia goes through on her way to school and may identify with not being what you want to be. With this book, parents have the opportunity to help their child understand how perfect they are, just the way God made them.

Note: received from Net Galley, courtesy of the publisher ( )

I really enjoy well done children's books. Some people think you can just slap a couple rhymes together, add in a few colorful illustrations and bam! done. Well, tis not so. A book needs to have substance, as a children's book it is simple substance but substance just the same (phew! Don't know if I've ever used the word "substance" so many times in one sentence. Here's one more for good measure: substance) The book should be relatable, (Petunia Pepper just can't seem to get a good school picture taken, is any kid ever happy with their school picture? For that matter is any adult happy with their driver's license picture? So, relatable? check.) humorous, (the main character's name is Petunia Pepper. Humorous? check.) easy on the eyes (look at the cover. check.) and finally have something of a message (learn to be happy with yourself and your appearance. Message? check.)...

To read the full review over at The Book Buff, click here: http://thebookbuff.blogspot.com/2011/02/petunia-peppers-picture-day.html

-Kate the Book Buff ( )

I received an e-copy of this book for review. I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Petunia Pepper is prone to disaster on picture day. She has suffered through poofy hair, scraggly smiles and pink eye, resulting in pictures only a mother would love. This year Petunia is sure things are going to be different. Despite her careful plans, things go wrong. Missing the bus begins a series of misadventures that lead to Petunia saving a runaway poodle, but creates a disaster for picture day. Disappointed about missing the class picture, Petunia’s day takes an upswing when the front page of the local paper features a picture of Petunia rescuing the poodle. Finally, a picture everyone will love!

Girls (and their moms) will identify with this cute story with a happy ending. As an amateur photographer (and a mom) I like that it gives the message that perfection doesn’t always make the perfect photo. Kids will sympathize with Petunia’s anxiety of getting a good picture. The author and illustrator do a wonderful job of showing Petunia’s feelings throughout the story. The bright, colorful illustrations compliment the story. The author includes a “Take Time Out for God’s Word” at the end of the book. Personally, I found this to be an added bonus to the story. Placing it at the end of the book allows educators who may be uncomfortable using such an addition in a public school setting, to choose to include the addition or not.

The one problem I had with the story was the idea that a teacher would prevent a student from being in the class picture. I understand that having Petunia not be in the picture was a necessary part of the story line, but perhaps there was a better way of accomplishing this than making the teacher the bad guy.

Overall, this is a wonderful book. A great addition to any elementary or classroom library.

Recommended for Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Mrs. Archer’s rating: 4 of 5 ( )

If I had to sum up this book in one word, that word would definitely be...ADORABLE! Petunia and her dilemmas were a joy to read about, and Petunia herself was easy to fall in love with. From her smile, right down to her fabulous little shoes, she was a character that I know for a fact the girls in my class would fall in love with. I was smitten with her perseverance in the book, never giving up no matter what stood in her way. I think that is a great message for kids!

My favorite part of this book by far was the illustrations. They are bright, spunky and fun. Petunia and her family exude cuteness, and I liked how all the characters were outlined to look almost like stickers stuck into a book. Each and every page is exciting to look at! I can definitely see a group of children giggling out loud as Petunia runs into the hot dog cart, sending forth a cloud of flying hot dogs and mustard.

This is also a fabulous way to teach alliteration! The title itself, Petunia Pepper's Picture Day, is a great start, but there are so many "p" words present in the book that it would be extremely easy to design a lesson around this concept. In the same respect, this book would be great for a Summer Bible Camp or Sunday School. At the end of the book is also a letter to the children about how God loves us all the way we are, and how everyday is a picture day! A great beginning reader, I highly recommend this book. ( )