Vancouver-based writer Sheri Radford presents a cautionary yet gleeful tale of the perils of too much soda pop. Penelope quenches her thirst with glass after glass of grape soda, despite repeated warnings from her mother. Very soon she feels a strange internal bubbling, then produces a burp so enormous it brings down plaster from the ceiling and summons two frantic doctors. Before the grown-ups can reprimand Penelope, along comes a second burp that shatters all the windows and one wall. This time four firefighters appear anticipating disaster, but Penelope cannot be stopped and a third belch occurs – one that completely demolishes the house. Six police officers arrive to oversee the chaos, but it is Penelope herself who finds the right words to mollify the situation.

With definite appeal to the crowd so amused by bodily functions, Penelope and the Humongous Burp follows the familiar format of increasingly worse situations ultimately being rectified by childish ingenuity or wit. Reminiscent of Robert Munsch’s protagonists, Penelope manages to ignore the admonishments of overly reactive adults and keep the humour intact in her own bubbly adventure.

Ottawa illustrator Christine Tripp’s candy-coloured palette is a good choice to document Penelope’s exploits (remember, they all begin with grape soda), and the bold outlines and exaggerated facial expressions will catch the eyes of young readers, especially the double-paged spread of Penelope’s final seismic belch. A good blend of visual drama and comic detail (Penelope’s dog nearly steals the show), the book displays a racially diverse cast of characters coping with Penelope’s gastric disasters. With its exuberant pictures, slightly naughty subject matter, silly words (“glurble glooble”), and repetitive phrases, Penelope and the Humongous Burp could lead to some comical storytimes.