“Playful humor infuses five inspiring lessons about being a 'purple person.'”
A cheerful, young girl shares her guide to becoming a “purple person,” encapsulated in five steps she has learned from her dad, grandma, mom, grandpa, and teacher. Step one—purple people ask really great questions—she learned from her father (though she can only ask 20 questions each day about space dolphins), while step five—“Just be (the real) you”—she learned from her teacher. As she shares, she pauses to elaborate and comment on each step: when she describes step two, which her grandma taught her is to laugh a lot, she says she and her grandma “ESPECIALLY laugh at Grandpa’s funny noises,” as Grandpa is shown in a corner inset laughing and snorting. Award-winning actress Bell and author Hart include many moments of humor, which Wiseman skillfully delivers in the illustrations, to keep the lesson-filled text lighthearted and fun. In an affirming ending, the narrator exclaims, “Well, I’ll be a llama’s mama! You’ve been beautifully PURPLE this whole time!” as a llama pokes its head out from behind a tree and asks, “Mama?!” The illustrations include a variety of kids, ages, and interests, from a group of young classmates playing four square, to an astronaut, to a stooped grandma, and the book encourages discovering similarities and learning about, and laughing with, others.
Actress, producer, and parent Kristen Bell (The Good Place, Veronica Mars, Frozen) and creative director and parent Benjamin Hart have a new challenge for you and your kids: become a purple person!
What is a purple person? Great question. I mean, really great! Because purple people always ask really great questions. They bring their family, friends, and communities together, and they speak up for what’s right. They are kind and hardworking, and they love to laugh (especially at Grandpa’s funny noises)! A purple person is an everyday superhero! How do you become one? That’s the fun part! Penny Purple will lead you through the steps. Get ready to be silly, exercise your curiosity, use your voice, and be inspired.
Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart have created a hilarious and joyous read-aloud that offers a wonderful message about embracing the things that bring us together as humans. This book will inspire a whole generation to paint the world purple!
Kristen Bell is a mostly grown adult who spends much of her time pretending to be other people. She finds this pursuit oddly rewarding, mostly because of the free food. She is also an American actress and producer who has starred in such films as <i>Frozen, Bad Moms, </i> and <i>Forgetting Sarah Marshall, </i> as well as the television series <i>The Good Place</i> and <i>Veronica Mars.</i> She has been a guest editor for <i>Parents</i> magazine and has been featured in parenting articles on platforms like <i>Motherly, Real Simple, Babble, </i> and more. She also produces and stars in the web series <i>Momsplaining</i> for EllenTube.
Benjamin Hart is a mostly grown adult who spends his time on a rock, floating through space. He is reminded of this almost daily by his neighbor Frank. He is also a multidisciplinary designer and creative director. He is currently a principal partner and the co-president of Brains on Fire, a creative agency that specializes in building communities and sparking social movements through the power of identity and narrative. Benjamin has worked on numerous projects and campaigns focused on early childhood development and education.
Daniel Wiseman likes to draw. A lot. He likes it so much, he’s made a career out of it. Usually he draws animals wearing clothes, or kids enjoying a good dance party. However, when prodded, he’s been known to draw pretty much anything else. Daniel currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his beautiful wife and his equally beautiful son. When he isn’t drawing, he can usually be found doing one of these great things: perfecting his biscuit recipe, hiking up a mountain in some faraway location, singing loudly in his car, riding his bike on the mean streets of STL, or napping.