BUCKHANNON – Jess Scott, a professor at West Virginia Wesleyan College, has penned a children’s book she hopes will keep kids oinking with fun – but really ‘Miss Penelope Thundertoes Changes Her Mind’ is for swine enthusiasts of all ages.
Scott, who herself has pet pigs, said watching children interact with the animals inspired her to write the book.
“Pigs are so playful and they are so smart,” Scott said. “It seemed to me that people do not know much about pigs. I watch my nieces and nephews interact with my pet pigs and it seemed like such a fun kind of interaction and dynamic, and it inspired me to write this book for kids so they would know more about them.”
‘Miss Penelope Thundertoes Changes Her Mind’ tells the story of Scott’s own pigs meeting and how they became friends.
“It takes pigs a while to get used to one another, and one of them must be in charge,” Scott shared. “The story is about a pig who is an ‘only pig,’ much like an only child. She is bored at home while her owner is at work, and her person gets her another pig to keep her company – but Miss Penelope Thundertoes does not like that at first.”
The book tells the story of how Miss Thundertoes learns to become friends with BoBo Snort, the new pig. Scott said it is not only an entertaining story – with lots of fun facts about pigs – but also helps kids learn to get along with others, particularly when parents decide to add another sibling to the family. It also can be used to learn about adoption.
“Some of the things I was hoping to communicate … are emotional literacy and intelligence, because Miss Penelope is very clear how she feels throughout the book,” Scott said. “I want to communicate to kids that it is good to say how you feel and that it is okay to change your mind – you can not like something and then decide you do like it later. It is important to say how you feel.”
Another interesting fact about ‘Miss Penelope Thundertoes Changes Her Mind’ is that the book was published by Angel Wilson, who was one of Scott’s students at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
“She went on from Wesleyan to do an MFA in creative writing and publishing arts, and she founded her own company in Baltimore, Maryland called Silent Books Publishing where she helps people bring their stories into the world,” Scott said. “She is very dynamic and has published her own memoir, which is a beautifully written book about growing up in Baltimore.”
Scott said she has been thrilled to work with Wilson on the project.
“The experience has been wonderful and it is great to be working with someone I had in the classroom,” she said.
Scott said she teaches gender studies and occasionally in the music department at WVWC.
“I have taught at Wesleyan for 11 years,” she said. “I play the organ at a Methodist Church in Clarksburg and I also try to be active in the community by doing volunteer work.”
‘Miss Penelope Thundertoes Changes Her Mind’ is available now at https://pigstories.square.site/.
Scott said she would be happy to visit local classrooms and libraries to read the book and answer questions. She can be contacted by email at scott_j@wvwc.edu.
“My mom is a kindergarten teacher and I am sure I will visit her classroom to do a reading,” Scott said. “Anybody who is interested in that just needs to let me know. I hope to work to get it in local shops for sale as well.”
Additional information about Silent Books Publishing is available at https://silentbookspublishing.com/.
