Tag

Penguins

I Can Fly by Fifi Kuo

I had the pleasure of meeting Fifi Kuo at a recent event – the 2019 shortlist announcement for the prestigious Klaus Flugge Prize. Her beautiful book made it on to the list and, despite being very much in demand, she took the time to chat and also to compose a little drawing for Ivy on the inside cover of our copy!

The touching story is about a Little Penguin who really wants to fly. He flips and flaps his tiny wings but nothing ever happens. His dad explains to him that it’s just not possible – penguins simply cannot fly – but Little Penguin is convinced that if he just tries hard enough he can make it happen.

An over-enthusiastic leap in to the air results in him tumbling in to the sea. Is it possible that there, under the murky depths, he might finally take flight?

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And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell & Henry Cole

And Tango Makes ThreeThis gorgeous classic tells the true story of two very special male penguins at Central Park Zoo.

Choosing to ignore the female penguins, Roy and Silo are inseparable. They sing together, bow to each other and go on little strolls around the penguin enclosure. When they see the other penguins pair up and build a nest of stones they do the same and snuggle up to sleep. Soon however they see that the other penguins all have eggs in their nests. They watch as the eggs grow then hatch, and they want a baby penguin of their own.

Clever Roy spots a large round stone which looks just like an egg. He brings it home to Silo and they pop it in their nest. For days and days they take turns sitting on the egg, just as they have seen the other penguins do, but no baby penguin appears.

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Penguin Small By Mick Inkpen

Penguin SmallPenguin Small has a lot of fears. He is scared of the nasty polar bears bears who have been playing tricks on him and his friends, he’s scared of water and he’s not a big fan of being on his own. So when all of the other penguins decide enough is enough and head out to sea to make a new life in the South Pole, he is left in an unhappy position. He can’t follow them because he won’t go in the water, but he can’t stay because of the polar bears and the loneliness. What is a little penguin to do?

At exactly the right moment a Snowman appears and a series of events result in them floating off to sea on a small piece of ice and discovering a beautiful tropical island. The new friends meets lots of exciting new animals in this weird and wonderful place and the Snowman vows that he will stay there forever.

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Sunk! By Rob Biddulph

Sunk!A few weeks ago we asked our Facebook followers to tell us their current favourite book and ‘Sunk!’ was far and away the most popular response. We love Rob Biddulph but didn’t have this particular title so we grabbed ourselves a copy straight away and we’re very glad we did!

If you’ve read ‘Blown Away‘ then you’ll already be familiar with little Penguin Blue, a fun-loving penguin who is very adept at getting himself in a sticky situation far from home. Here, he dresses as a pirate and sets off to sail the seven seas in a rubber dinghy with his friends. Their goal is to find treasure but unfortunately they cross paths with a swordfish who pops their boat and sends them sinking in to the murky depths of the sea. Eeek!

However they soon discover that the ocean floor is awash with treasure when they find a sunken ship! Tired of swimming, they head to a nearby desert island to rest and figure out the next steps. It’s all very well finding lots of treasure, but how on earth are they going to get home without a boat?

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Blown Away by Rob Biddulph

Blown AwayPenguin Blue has a brand new kite and he’s very excited about flying it for the first time. Unfortunately he picks a day which is a little bit too windy and a big gust carries him away. His friends grab his feet but the wind is too strong and soon they’re all flying over the ocean – 3 penguins, a seal and a bear!

Eventually they land on a tiny tropical island. They seem to be trapped and they’re not used to warm weather.

Will they be able to find a way home?

A lovely tale of friendship and ingenuity with really quirky little illustrations.

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2BsM783

Be Brave Little Penguin by Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees

Be Brave Little PenguinThis sparkly book is very popular in our house at the moment.

The story is about Pip Pip, a tiny penguin who is scared of the sea. All of his penguin peers laugh at his fears and soon he becomes lonely and sad.He plays by himself on land so that he doesn’t have to go near the water.

One day, following some gentle encouragement from his mum, he tip toes to the edge and leans forward. Can he overcome his fears and jump?

An inspiring little story about courage, with lovely illustrations and some extra sparkle.

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2n2Oczz

Penguin Problems By Jory John & Lane Smith

Penguin ProblemsThis little penguin has big problems.

He’s cold. It’s too early. It’s too bright. The sea is too salty. He looks silly when he waddles. He can’t fly. He looks the same as everyone else. No one cares about his problems.

Yup – this penguin is your toddler!

When his complaining gets too much, a wise old walrus steps in and tries to put his problems in to perspective and encourages him to marvel at the wonderful world around him.

Can the little penguin look outside of himself and see that things really aren’t that bad for him after all?

We love the illustrations in this one and Ivy adores the ‘pingwings’.

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2kTt78P

Lost And Found By Oliver Jeffers

Lost And FoundThere’s something about this book by Oliver Jeffers that is really calming. The combination of the beautiful illustrations and the minimalist text really works well.

A little boy finds a penguin and, worried that he looks a bit sad, he tries to help him find his way home. They journey together for thousands of miles but when they get there they learn a powerful lesson.

Home isn’t always where you’re from – home is where your heart lives.

This is a truly mesmerising little book about the power of friendship.

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2yD5z0N