Thank you for visiting the site of Melissa Northway, the writer and creator of the Penelope series along with many other unique stories. Feel free to take a look around and don't forget to check out her latest work at picpocketbooks.com.
Polka Dots Publishing
Melissa founded Polka Dots Publishing, Inc. in December of 2010, with a goal to create interactive and educational children’s storybook apps and books utilizing digital technology. Our services now include consulting for new and established authors and developers looking to maximize social media platforms. From concept to creation, we can provide you with expert advice and strategies to make sure your app or book gets noticed. Learn more about Polka Dots Publishing
Penelope the Purple Pirate
“Penelope the Purple Pirate is a fun interactive romp with Penelope and her charming friends…wonderful read and discover app with great visuals and sounds! Love the fun filled facts at the end to test everyone’s comprehension.” -Alexandra Uhl, owner of A Whale of a Tale Children’s Bookshoppe
Learn more about Penelope the Purple Pirate
Gerry the Giraffe
“Gerry the Giraffe HD is a delightful story about Gerry and his quest to improve his volleyball skills... This beautifully illustrated book is set in Africa where giraffes love to play volleyball. Gerry is left behind when his friends on the “Super Sonics” team go off to volleyball camp...”
-Alison, The iMums
Learn more about Gerry the Giraffe
Current Giveaway
Let’s Celebrate! Penelope’s 4th Birthday Giveaway
Seems like a lifetime ago, sitting on my daughter’s bed listening to my husband tell her a story about RedBeard and his adventures on the high seas. In that moment, I visualized a little redheaded girl pirate and her adventures on the high seas. It took about a year to see my dream of writing […]
In the Spotlight
Jimmy Osmond of the Osmond Family and Children’s Author
When Regnery Kids contacted me about reviewing Jimmy Osmond’s children’s book Awesome Possum Family Band I jumped at the chance. I use to watch The Osmonds on TV and loved the Donny & Marie show so much. I was so enthralled with the crew, my mother had a friend who worked with them […]
Featured Guest Post
Guest Post :: Patti Wheeler of Travels with Gannon & Wyatt
Where We Find Our Inspiration By Patti Wheeler, coauthor of Travels with Gannon & Wyatt This past year I have had the pleasure of speaking to thousands of elementary school children about my middle-grade adventure book series. Meeting with parents and teachers along the way, one of the first questions I’m always asked is […]
From the Blog…
Celebrating National Hugging Day with BAYMAX
About National Hugging Day: National Hugging Day,™ also known as National Hug Day, is an annual holiday created by Rev. Kevin Zaborney in Michigan, USA. It occurs on January 21 and is officially recognized by the United States Copyright Office. It was first celebrated in 1986 and has since spread to multiple countries. […]
App of the Week :: Storm & Skye and The Secret of the Car Wash
Storm & Skye and The Secret of the Car Wash is a magical audio-visual tale that lasts a little over 45 minutes!!! The story starts out with the narrator that lets you know that Storm, a young boy, has recently moved to a new part of town with his mum, and his step-dad Baldwin. Storm isn’t […]
Let’s Celebrate! Penelope’s 4th Birthday Giveaway
Seems like a lifetime ago, sitting on my daughter’s bed listening to my husband tell her a story about RedBeard and his adventures on the high seas. In that moment, I visualized a little redheaded girl pirate and her adventures on the high seas. It took about a year to see my dream of writing […]
The Adventures of Chuck & Friends: Rev Your Engines
The Adventures of Chuck & Friends: Rev Your Engines Chuck is back with his friends: Digger, Handy, Rowdy, Biggs, Boomer and Flip with 10 new episodes in “Rev Your Engines”! It’s one of those dvd episode movies that can involve the whole family and create communication about the episodes where you actually feel good about what your child […]
Review :: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER GEORGE LUCAS THE EMMY® AWARD-WINNING SERIES ‘STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS‘ STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: THE LOST MISSIONS Against a backdrop of ever-shifting loyalties, uneasy alliances and ancient hostilities, the conflict between the Republic and the Separatists ramps up, setting the stage for Darth Sidious’ ultimate act of treachery against […]
App of the Week: 10 Fingers for 10 Digits
When my son saw the number blocks that came in mail he was very excited to try them out with this app. He was able to figure out how the blocks worked with the app quicker than I was. In the picture above the number blocks help with identifying numbers. So you put the number […]
Create New Thanksgiving Traditions This Holiday Season
Image courtesy of Flickr Create New Thanksgiving Traditions This Holiday Season Interestingly, America is not the only country to celebrate an official Thanksgiving Day. Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Liberia also have an official Thanksgiving Holiday. In Canada, tomato aspic (jellied tomato juice) is an Ontario Thanksgiving tradition. Maybe you want to […]
The Helpful Honda Crew Providing Perks for Football Fans!
The Guys in Blue are playing ball! Well- not exactly, but the Helpful Honda teams have been spotted at USC and UCLA football games providing fans with helpful perks. All around the stadium, the Helpful Guys in Blue can be seen greeting fans, picking up trash, as well as giving out game-day essentials like […]
Movie Review & Giveaway :: The Hundred-Foot Journey
Our family goes to the movies quite a bit and you could say it is one of our favorite things to do together! We usually will get a big box of popcorn and peanut m&m’s (though my daughter prefers the plain ones – age wins out) and we sit back and enjoy the […]
Movie Review :: Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars
Bring Home The Ultimate Intergalactic Adventure on DVD as Phineas and Ferb Join Forces with Star Wars in One Epic Full-Length Adventure! PHINEAS AND FERB: STAR WARS was released on DVD this month. Our family has been fans of this fun crew for many years now. I just think the whole series is […]
App of the Week :: Three Little Pigs, Read & Play
Three Little Pigs by Pony Apps is a wonderful interactive version of the classic story in an app format. The app is available in Russian and English and you have the option to turn off or on the narration and sound. On the cover page when you touch it the butterflies fly around. It’s pretty neat. So […]
Review and Giveaway for Thunder and the House of Magic
THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC Directed by Renowned 3D Filmmakers Ben Stassen and Jeremie Degruson, With Original Music by Ramin Djawadi Featuring the Music of Selena Gomez This fall, venture inside an intriguing mansion full of endearing animals and a dazzling array of automatons and gizmos, and spellbound by the exciting […]
Book of the Week :: What’s the Big Idea, Charlie Brown?
Peanuts: Creative Inventors, Daring Explorers, Champions of Change. The Peanuts gang embarks on brand-new adventures highlighting the exceptional people who make America great! American history is filled with heroes from every walk of life, and we want our kids to learn about them! Who better to teach kids about American history and its heroes than the […]
App of the Week :: Count Dracu1 Meet My Friends
When App Developer Popcorn Grenade asked me to review their new app CountDrac1 I couldn’t wait to check out this Halloween app! This is my favorite time of year as many of you know (and some even share my favorite holiday – yep, Halloween) so this was a real treat. We are greeted by CountDrac and he […]
Review & Giveaway: JACK AND THE CUCKOO-CLOCK HEART
“The greatest animated romance since Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterpiece Corpse Bride” -James Verniere, Boston Herald JACK AND THE CUCKOO-CLOCK HEART A Film Directed by Mathias Malzieu and Stéphane Berla Produced by Virginie Besson-Silla, EuropaCorp INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MOTION PICTURE FINALLY ARRIVES ON DVD AND TWO-DISC BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK (BLU-RAY+DVD+DIGITAL) IN STORES EVERYWHERE ON OCTOBER 7, 2014 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY […]
First Day of Fall :: Amazon Appstore’s Got You Covered
Photo courtesy of Flickr Today marks the first official day of fall. This means cooler weather, football games, the kick-off of holiday gatherings and an abundance of pumpkin and apple spice. I just love this time of year and can’t wait to take my first bite of pumpkin pie! To help you get in the […]
Come Meet The Boo Hoo Crew and Celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day!
This is my favorite time of year – not only do we have Halloween and Christmas but also Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19th! This year we are celebrating with a Talk Like A Pirate Facebook Party on September 19th from 5:30 pm PST to 6:30 pm PST! We […]
September 8th is International Literacy Day
Image courtesy of Jump Into A Book Promoting a love of reading and writing has been at the forefront of my goals as a mom and children’s book author. I help where I can by donating books to libraries and schools, dp school readings and offer Author Skype Readings around the U.S. to encourage children to pick up a […]
