Brooke Bourgeois, author of Penelope's Balloons, visited Godwin School in May. Penelope's Balloons is a 2024 children's picture book about an elephant named Penelope who loves her ten red balloons. She takes them everywhere, until one day she loses them and is devastated. The story explores themes of identity, anxiety, friendship, and community as she learns to cope with loss and finds support from her friends and family.

Brooke read her story aloud and led a directed drawing of her beloved Penelope. The students truly enjoyed the experience. Thank you to the Kamp family for donating her book to the Birthday Program and for connecting us to Brooke.