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Taryn DeLong reviews two books based on the YouTube series Princess Penelope’s Purse of Preposterous Things.

I was late turning in this article because my daughters got sick. Ironically, what I was doing instead of writing this review was repeatedly reading the books it’s about. My daughters love them, and they were comforting and energizing for my sick two-year-old. 

Princess Penelope’s Purse of Preposterous Things and Dragon’s Marshmallow Mess are two books in a new series from Loyola Press. They’re written by a co-creator of Blue’s Clues, and the structure of the stories may be familiar to millennial and Gen Z parents who were fans of the blue dog.

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Angela C. Santomero, an Emmy Award-winning alumna of Catholic University of America, was also a co-creator of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. (We haven’t watched Daniel Tiger, but as a Fred Rogers and, now, Princess Penelope fan, I’m going to have to check it out.) Santomero has a master’s degree in child development and instructional technology, and she leverages this expertise in creating television shows. 

Princess Penelope’s Purse of Preposterous Things is a YouTube show following the “interactive-first” format Santomero first used in Blue’s Clues. Princess Penelope asks questions and responds to (assumed) viewers’ answers. The books do the same.

 

The Premise

The first book introduces the titular purse. Penelope is a kitten who lives in Storybook Meadow. In this first story, she helps some friends and is rewarded with a purple purse of preposterous things. It wiggles when someone needs help. 

Penelope then shows the reader three “preposterous” objects inside and asks which one might help. The objects are often, indeed, preposterous, ranging from pine cones to a jug of water that somehow has not spilled inside the purse. The alliteration also reappears throughout the stories, which I enjoyed.

 

The Lessons

I found one of the scenarios in the second book a little contrived. I’m also not generally a fan of TV art in books. However, the fact that my daughters love these books so much — and the fact that they teach important lessons — mean I’ll probably buy the next book in the series when it comes out later this year. It’s rare to find a book that’s sparkly and silly and girly — all attributes my daughters value in their books — but also has some substance behind it.

My favorite part in both books was after Princess Penelope told Dragon to stop breathing fire and scaring her friends. Dragon walks away sadly, and rather than resting on her courageous laurels, Penelope realizes that Dragon is sad and decides he needs her help, too. We live in a fallen world, where we all sin and no one is kind all the time. What a great reminder for my daughters that Jesus wants us to love everyone. Even the fire-breather.

 

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Ask for these books at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Loyola Press (linked above).

 

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Copyright 2026 Taryn DeLong
Images: (top) detail from cover

About the Author

Taryn DeLong

Taryn DeLong

Taryn DeLong is co-president of Catholic Women in Business, a small media company that helps Catholic women integrate their faith and their vocation to business. She is also co-author of Holy Ambition: Thriving as a Catholic Woman at Work and at Home (Ave Maria Press, 2024). She lives outside Raleigh, NC with her husband and their little girls. Follow her on LinkedIn or Instagram.