Two decades after its original release, Burlington, Ontario-based author Lenna Rhodes is ready to inspire a new generation of young readers to explore the world of mining with her self-published children’s book Penelope the Miner. Illustrated by Gayle Shkrabek and edited by Peter J. Cashin, the book—targeted at readers aged six to 10—seeks to inspire young minds to explore the world of mining in a fun and imaginative way, while also encouraging girls to pursue careers in mining. 

“I wanted to not just represent women in mining, but I also wanted boys to like the book, too,” Rhodes said in an interview with CIM Magazine. “I also wanted to teach [local readers] to have pride in their mining heritage—to have pride in what is going on in their immediate world.” 

The plot follows Penelope, a young girl growing up in The Land of The Biggest Nickel (inspired by Sudbury, Ontario), whose mother’s dreams for her career are limited to a ballet dancer, a beauty queen or a model. Penelope, however, is drawn to hard hats, safety glasses and books about mining.  

Influenced by her father, a geologist, Penelope is motivated to pursue her dreams of one day working in the mining industry. She reminds those around her, including her mother, that mining is crucial for producing the materials needed to make phones and computers—technology the world depends on daily, yet is often taken for granted without considering how it is made. The book also features an educational section titled Digging Deeper, offering insights into working in the mining industry and the importance of mining and minerals in daily life. 

Rhodes was invited to this year’s PDAC conference, held in Toronto from March 2 to 5, to relaunch her book. She reprinted 250 copies and donated a portion of all book sales to Mining Matters, an organization based in Toronto dedicated to educating young people about earth sciences, the minerals industry and the importance of minerals to our society.  

Sparking interest in mining 

While working as a full-time kindergarten teacher in Sudbury, Rhodes wrote and published her first book made for kindergarten students, Inside a Geologist’s Bag, in 2003. The book was inspired by both her husband, a geologist, and her observations over several years of teaching, where she noticed that despite having books about rocks and minerals available, her students were not engaging with the material. This led her to recognize a gap in children’s literature on mining and geology, especially books that “mixed magic with the facts.” 

Shortly after releasing Inside a Geologist’s Bag, Rhodes was approached by the Sudbury Mining Week committee (now known as Modern Mining & Technology Sudbury), which asked if she would be interested in taking on the role of mining and education teacher-representative for the Rainbow District School Board of Northern Ontario, where she would be tasked with promoting mining education in line with provincial curriculum guidelines.  

The committee also asked Rhodes if she would be interested in writing a new book focused on mining, this time aimed at older children. Rhodes eagerly accepted the offer, particularly after discovering that, despite Sudbury’s rich mining heritage and how many children had grandparents who worked in the industry, there was a surprising lack of knowledge and interest in mining among local kids. 

When Penelope the Miner was released in 2004, Rhodes said that the CIM Sudbury Branch and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation collectively purchased 5,000 copies to hand out at schools associated with the Rainbow District School Board. 

When Rhodes and her husband moved to Burlington in 2005, and she took a substitute teaching position with Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, the book’s influence spread. She read the book to various classes, where she noted that students were now asking questions about mining. 

“[This book] opened up a conversation, and I realized that even though this is for young children, the older children were still interested, which blew me away,” said Rhodes. 

Determined to inspire the next generation of miners, she brought the book back into print this year. To promote it, Rhodes has been actively participating in community events, including live reading sessions held in libraries and other venues. She has also created various props to further engage young readers, including bejewelled hard hats, dolls dressed as mining professionals and more. Rhodes is now planning to write a third children’s book, noting that it will be another “mining-based story.” 

Penelope the Miner can be ordered via email at lenna.mc.rhodes@gmail.com.