A Job For Penelope by Melanie Mikecz

I read a fantastic tweet recently which essentially said that getting a job you love does not mean, as the old saw says, never having to work a day in your life, but that you will in fact do far too much work, which is genuinely my plight right now. So when I picked up this picture book about an adorable little dog called Penelope who feels left out because everyone else in her family has a job, I immediately thought, “No, Penelope, don’t do it! Don’t let capitalism trick you into finding self-worth only through what the system deems valuable!”

Because let me tell you, being a loving dog to your family should be more than value enough. Offering comfort and joy in constant companionship with your loved ones is an underrated responsibility. Intangible contributions to a social unit have just as much value as fiscal ones, I promise you.

And, generously, one could argue that Penelope’s desire in this book to find a job comes less from wanting to feel like she needs to justify herself to her family, and more from a desire to give herself purpose by doing something that gives back to the community. I get that: I was the weirdo kid who set myself schoolwork back in the gap between private school and boarding school, because I didn’t know how else to quantify my journey as a constant learner. I just don’t want little kids to read this and think, “oh, do I need a job in order to matter? Am I just a burden otherwise?” as some other popular children’s media may imply. Work comes in many forms and rest is important, especially in a present-day where the gig economy ensures that so many of us are overwhelmed and underpaid.

Getting back to the book tho, Penelope is the littlest member of a hardworking multiracial family, with a lawyer mom, chef dad, and student (and future astronaut) son. When everyone is away at work, Penelope feels like getting a job, too! She tries out for some of the more common options available to dogs, only to find that she isn’t cut out for any of them. She’s quite discouraged, until her family brings her to visit Grandpop and she finds a perfect purpose after all.

Setting aside the fact that therapy dogs must undergo a lot of training and generally aren’t just let loose into a building sans handler, this was a very cute book about a dog who doesn’t let a few setbacks get in the way of her personal goals. It’s nice too that the book tells readers that it’s okay to fail at a few jobs before finding the one that’s right for you — an undeniably valuable life lesson for anyone of any age.

The art throughout is charming, with Penelope in particular being depicted with the perfectly endearing expression for every situation. It kinda makes me miss having a dog, tbh. This is definitely the book for dog lovers, small or grown, who could use a little encouragement when it comes to trying and failing to find something they’re good at doing, career or otherwise.

A Job For Penelope by Melanie Mikecz was published July 16 2024 by Sunbird Books and is available from all good booksellers, including