“An innovative, award-winning series helping children develop social and emotional well-being”
Selected for the Victorian Department of Education and Training’s School Readiness Funding Menu for 2020.
With their delightful characters, engaging stories and whimsical approach, the award-winning Ginnie & Pinney
Learn & Grow series is a unique and innovative set of books and videos that will encourage ethical thinking, empathy and emotional intelligence in young children.
Roll Up, Roll Up, Clean Up – Taking Responsibility
Ginnie & Pinney and their friends are discussing spring-cleaning when they notice a bad smell coming from the Koala’s house. The friends have to intervene. Teaching the koalas to clean their house is a lot of fun,
but when the friends leave, have the koalas learnt anything?
About the series
A delightful series featuring Ginnie & Pinney and their friends. Their daily social interactions, concerns and decisions pose dilemmas that model positive self-identity and behaviours: selflessness, persistence, sharing, inclusiveness, responsibility, accepting difference and learning to say sorry.
View Series HERE
Barbara Braxton, The Bottom Shelf http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/ –
As our little ones restart their school journeys and have to relearn how to mix and mingle with others beyond their family bubble, many may need some extra guidance in how to build those relationships with their peers again. This collection of eight books, which offer QR access to videos and teacher resources, could be a valuable tool in this process.
Designed to help our very youngest readers develop ethical thinking, emotional intelligence, and social and emotional intelligence, each book focuses on a key concept such as selflessness, persistence, sharing, taking responsibility, fairness, inclusiveness, self-identity and learning to say sorry. Featuring a recurring cast of characters including Pinney ‘Potamus, Ginnie Giraffe, Miranda Panda, Dodo Komodo, Lulu Kangaroo, Tao Tiger and Kevin, Kelly and Kylie Koala, all portrayed as stitched felt creatures, young readers will enjoy the different adventures as well as pondering what the best course of action would be to solve the problem.
Something new to support the Personal and Social Capability strand so students are having the concepts consolidated with a new range of materials.
Academic Reviewer –
There is a real need for these books and video material. The topic area is of upmost importance and that targeting children and their educators and caregivers is vital.
Norah Colvin, readilearn –
“I love these books and am very grateful to you for letting me know about them. I would have loved to use them in the classroom. In fact, I wish I’d written them myself. They’re about everything I believe about children and learning.”
Mother of seven-year-old –
Alexander just loves the books. She has picked them up again and is reading them every night.
Tim Bain, British-Australian writer of comedy, children’s and animated series for Nickelodeon, Disney XD, Cartoon Network, CITV, CBBC, CBeebies, ABC3, Teletoon and Netflix. –
My three-year-old twins have gotten into your books! There are continual requests for the dress-up story and the stinky koala’s house story. Good to see them enjoying the stories.
Karen Freide, Head of Primary School, Bialik College, Melbourne –
Ginnie and Pinney was introduced to our Year 2 students to enhance the SEL program at Bialik College. The stories supported their learning in relation to the personal and social capabilities and provided opportunities for the students learn to about their own emotions, values, and strengths. Our aim is to develop resilience and a sense of self-worth, resolve conflict, engage in teamwork and feel positive about themselves and the interactive nature of the books provided for self and teacher directed discussions to support our goal.
Bialik College Year 2 students –
I didn’t like cleaning up, but now I do; It’s import (sic) to be responsible.
Yelling or telling off does not make good friends.
I love these books. I wonder will they make more books?
Paulette Maskell, Head of ELC, Shelford Girls’ Grammar, Melbourne –
These stories are something we have been wanting and needing for a long time…and are the kind of concepts that much of our Early Years Learning Framework talks to. The children have loved these books.
Doctor Jen Glasser, The Israeli Centre for Philosophy in Education; Director, Engaging Texts: Executive Committee member of ICPIC –
There is both a need and a market for this book. The Ginnie and Pinney books already have proven appeal internationally shown by the interest coming from China and Finland and the HundrED award.
Josh Langley; Award winning author of the Being You is Enough children’s book series and mental health advocate. –
Nurturing children’s mental and emotional wellbeing is critical in helping them thrive in a fast-changing world as they grow up. I love how the Ginnie and Pinney Learn to Grow series of books starts the process early for children, teaching emotional intelligence, ethical thinking, and empathy in a fun and engaging way. Any book that instigates wide ranging conversations between kids and parents is worth its weight in gold as the insights gleaned and lessons learned can be life changing. I also love how these books are delightfully simple, meaning the core messages can be easily understood and discussed with kids at a young age.
Ex teacher and grandparent –
As a former teacher, and now a grandmother of 8 young children, I was delighted to discover the Ginnie & Pinney series. The relatable issues raised in each book provoke much warm and fun discussion, and aid in introducing children to moral dilemmas and problem solving.
Sue Auster, Education Consultant –
Ginnie and Pinney is my go-to gift for parents with young children. The series promotes empathic problem-solving and decision-making, developing emotional intelligence and social awareness. The delightful supplementary finger puppets invite imaginative play. I highly recommend Ginnie and Pinney ‘Learn & Grow’.
Wang Yu Hua, Principle, Qilu University, Shandong Province, China –
Ginnie &Pinney, a multiplatform project aimed at pre-schoolers. Their work, which focuses on ethics and EQ teaching for both Chinese and Australian children is very impressive.
Brendan Reed, father of two –
Ginnie & Pinney is an excellent learning adventure for young children. With easy to follow educational stories that are very well written with great meanings and important life lessons, to the wonderful illustrated pictures with vibrant colours and loveable characters these books are a must! I love at the end of each book how we can reflect on the story by answering the questions. These books demonstrate that reading can be fun whilst learning important life lessons. Highly recommended!!
Shin Yi, Mother of two –
If you need a conversation starter to help kids reflect, you need these books. These stories always end with good resolutions in fun ways! My kids love reading the dialogues.
Grandmother of 5 grandchildren –
I just wanted to share a little story about how effective the Ginnie & Pinney books have been with my grandchildren.
I had 2 of my grandsons – cousins – playing with a train set at my house yesterday, as well as one of my daughters – the mother of the older boy Tex. They are both obsessed with trucks and trains, and Tex was not sharing the trains with his younger cousin.
So my daughter said ‘Tex, remember the book we read last night about sharing? Is that what Dodo would do?’ He cocked his head to the side, not happy but reluctantly put the train down.
My daughter said they love the books, as the messages, morals and sentiments come through clearly for a 4-year-old to understand. And they work!!!
Lorraine, Past: Clinical Neuro Psychologist & Clinical Psychologist –
The Ginnie & Pinny books and videos are a sensitive, relevant and fun way for young children to learn how actions and words affect them and others around them.
My daughter, a Kinder teacher, loved reading the books to her students and found they delivered their messages in very positive and thoughtful ways.
I would highly recommend these books and videos.
Social Worker and Grandparent –
I bought the Ginnie and Pinney series to read with my granddaughter. Reading it together and chatting about all characters is one of her favourite activities when she visits me. Apart from being fun stories with characters she loves, the values highlighted in the stories make them a very valuable learning tool for her emotional and social development.
We have endless fun exploring the different characters and their behaviour. It also helped her discuss her own experiences with other children. I really appreciate having the questions on their website (and teacher resource) to guide me in making it an even greater learning experience. Thank you Ginnie and Pinney and your animal friends for giving us hours of fun entertainment and valuable learning.
Jo G –
Playful and at the same time meaningful content. Clever and engaging. Life’s dilemmas challenge us from the get-go. Ginnie and Pinney and their friends make teaching little ones that much easier. Highly recommended.
David Worland, CEO Australian Childcare Alliance –
Ginnie& Pinney is an amazing concept designed to help young children develop important skills in empathy ethical thinking and emotional intelligence. There is nothing available like this. It is AMAZING!
Ragamuffin Books –
Ginnie & Pinney Learn and Grow series is a great innovative idea that has been well thought out and is engaging, sweet and fun. My toddler was hooked from the get go and actually managed to sit and be engaged throughout the whole story (which is a rarity!).
Allison Winchester @ Little Big Reads –
These books share great lessons for children in a fun way, and I think they are well suited for kinder and prep aged children as they are learning a lot of these lessons at this age. They teach children how to use words of encouragement, how helping others can be rewarding, how not giving up can sometimes create the best ideas and creativity.
Ginnie & Pinney will become a beloved series for children across the globe. They are engaging, fun, honest and educational.
goodreads –
The Ginnie & Pinney books by Penny Harris and Winnie Zhou are superbly characterised by diverse, perfectly imperfect personalities and familiar issues to navigate, with the ability of a ubiquitous influence across early childhood settings all over the world. This series is invaluable as a resource for building foundations for sound emotional, social and ethical development. Readers from age three to eight will simply be ‘won over’ with every run, time and time again.
Just Kids’ Lit –
With their delightful characters, engaging stories and whimsical approach, the Ginnie & Pinney Learn & Grow series of books and videos will encourage ethical thinking, empathy and emotional intelligence in young children.
Goodreads –
Author Penny Harris and illustrator Winnie Zhou have ticked all the boxes when it comes to character development, theoretical underpinnings, creativity, and audience engagement; vital attributes when developing an innovative and award-winning series such as Ginnie & Pinney. Their groundwork, carefully considered, language-based and fun storylines in large visual format hit the mark for presentation to children in the early years, neatly accompanied by lively animated videos, finger puppets and comprehensive teaching notes to encourage adult-child discussions. Developed in Australia and China, the set of books also include a Mandarin Chinese counterpart, with plans to be released worldwide.