Baby Penguins Everywhere!

( 4 )

Overview


Can there be such a thing as too many adorable penguins?

One day a penguin sees a most unusual sight: a hat floating in the icy water. Even more unusual? Out of the hat pops a baby penguin. But not just one baby penguin . . . or even two. But a third, and a fourth, and on and on!

At first the mama penguin is happy for the company. Until she realizes that taking care of a family is very hard, very tiring work, and what she could really use is ...

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More About This Book

Overview


Can there be such a thing as too many adorable penguins?

One day a penguin sees a most unusual sight: a hat floating in the icy water. Even more unusual? Out of the hat pops a baby penguin. But not just one baby penguin . . . or even two. But a third, and a fourth, and on and on!

At first the mama penguin is happy for the company. Until she realizes that taking care of a family is very hard, very tiring work, and what she could really use is just a moment alone. Yet as newcomer Melissa Guion reminds us in her adorable debut picture book, alone time is all well and good, but, it's together time that's best of all.

Perfect for any mama penguin with a family, or classroom, full of mischievous little ones.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Guion's debut uses adorable penguins to salute the idea of taking time to recharge. Loosely drawn watercolor and pencil spreads show an unnamed penguin alone on an ice floe: "She enjoyed the peace and quiet of the sea and ice. Yet some days... she felt lonely." A top hat floating in the waves nearby turns out, miraculously, to contain several dozen baby penguins who emerge from it like clowns from a car. They create instant, ?exuberant chaos, frolicking with scarves and waving their stumpy wings in the air. It's easy to enjoy their fun: Guion's forms are simple but expressive, and her spreads convey gentle excitement. The new penguin mother is exhausted, though. A page turn shows her sitting alone with her eyes closed: "Happy as she was, she needed something. Just a minute to herself." Restored, she rejoins her family. Guion doesn't just explain to young readers why a parent might need an occasional break, she suggests that they, too, can listen for an inner voice that tells them they're in need of quiet time. Ages 2–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Dec.)
Children's Literature - Suzanne Javid
Meet a penguin, a cute little penguin enjoying the peace and quiet of the sea and ice. Some days she feels lonely. That is, until one day she spots a hat floating in the water. From that hat pops a little baby penguin and then one more and then another and then many more. Penguins are everywhere and suddenly the penguin is not lonely anymore. Before she knows it, she has become a mama penguin, caring for cute, mischievous babies. They have a lot of fun together, but she is very, very busy and more than a bit tired. She needs time, just a minute to herself. Penguins are shown frolicking about playing tug-of-war, building a snowman, and jumping rope with scarves. The adult penguin is shown in a one-page spread, alone, exhausted, and with her eyes closed because we all need some time to be alone, although it is a lot more fun being with the little penguins in your life. An ode to family life, the author/illustrator does a wonderful job of using watercolor and pencil art to showcase simple penguins with dot eyes and orange triangular beaks; perfect for preschool and beginning readers. Thirty-two large, beautifully white illustrated pages with large, uncluttered text. Each page contains two to fourteen words and sentences are limited to one per page with a total word count of one hundred sixteen. The book jacket itself is an adorable work of art with shiny, eye-catching graphics. Mama penguins with a family or teacher penguins with a classroom of little ones will delight in sharing this cute picture book. Mom and teachers with kids will concur. This is the author's first picture book. Check out her website www.melissaguion.com. Reviewer: Suzanne Javid
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1—"Once there was a penguin…" begins this story of the joys and difficulties that come with parenthood. An endearing, egg-shaped penguin sits on an ice floe in the wide ocean; she enjoys being alone, but discovers that it can also become lonely. When she spies a hat floating in the water, she is pleased to find a little penguin inside. Now she will have company. Amazingly, the hat continues to pour out little penguins until there are, as the title states, "baby penguins everywhere." Now this mother needs a bit of time to herself, "though being together is a lot more fun!" Watercolor-and-pencil art depicts the frozen habitat of the intrepid penguins, and superb composition leads readers from page to page, showcasing the birds' antics. Spreads showing them playing in the snow, jumping rope, and tumbling are especially effective, and children will enjoy looking from group to group, discovering the variety of sports. This title can be used to talk about family, friends, and the occasional need to be alone.—Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI
Kirkus Reviews
A solitary penguin wishes for companionship and gets a little more than she bargained for. Alone on a patch of ice, a penguin "enjoy[s] the peace and quiet," but then loneliness sets in. In a lucky twist of fate, a top hat akin to one a magician might wear drifts by, "[a]nd from that hat popped a little penguin!" But then, evoking the folkloric magic porridge pot, the hat ends up holding a seemingly endless succession of little penguins. "Now the penguin wasn't lonely anymore," the text reports, and scenes of baby penguins frolicking about, making a snowman, playing with an array of rainbow-colored balls and a colorful string of scarves ensue. A crowded, wordless double-page spread shows the now "very, very busy" penguin trying to keep up with her crèche, with the page turn showing her collapsed on her belly, "[a]nd more than a bit tired." She decides that she needs something: "[j]ust a minute to herself." This line ends up feeling like a bit of heavy-handed validation aimed at weary parents, with the ultimate, reassuring message being that everyone needs alone time but that "being together… / is a lot more fun!" Despite this tonal shift, watercolor illustrations delight in the penguins' sheer cuteness, staying just this side of twee. A sweet picture-book treatment of penguins and parenting. (Picture book. 3-5)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780399255359
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 12/6/2012
  • Pages: 32
  • Sales rank: 218,292
  • Age range: 2 - 5 Years
  • Product dimensions: 8.92 (w) x 9.14 (h) x 0.34 (d)

Meet the Author

Author-illustrator Melissa Guion grew up in West Caldwell, New Jersey, and Baltimore, Maryland. Her first picture book, Baby Penguins Everywhere!, was selected for The Original Art 2012 by the Society of Illustrators. Melissa is also a writer for Tom Tom, the world’s only magazine dedicated to female drummers. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit Melissa Guion at www.melissaguion.com and follow her on Twitter @MelissaGuion.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 4 )
Rating Distribution

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Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews

  • Posted January 15, 2013

    Just lovely. I gave this book to my neighbor girls for Christma

    Just lovely. I gave this book to my neighbor girls for Christmas and they loved it. They love penguins and anything to do with snow since they rarely get any where we live. The illustrations are wonderfully simple, clear, crisp watercolors that draw you right into the beautiful, blue, icy world of the penguin. The message is one about the necessity of maintaining a balance between family/fun time and time spent alone recharging ones batteries. A very simple, straightforward concept that befits every child. This is a book that children will want to revisit over and over again because of its simplicity and its alluring illustrations.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted February 12, 2013

    Cutest illustrations EVER! I can't get over how adorable this b

    Cutest illustrations EVER!

    I can't get over how adorable this book is. I absolutely love Melissa Guion's artwork. It is so simple, stylized, and 100% sweet. The pencil drawing and watercolor artwork is what really makes this book shine. I am always extremely happy to see great artwork in a picture book. It makes the reading experience that much richer and more enjoyable.

    My children love penguins, so this was a really fun book for them to read. They laughed when a baby penguin came of out of the hat, and enjoyed counting how many penguins were on each page.

    The story is a sweet simile to family life. The mama penguin loves all her new babies, but is exhausted and needs just a minute to herself. How true this is! While having children is rewarding and wonderful, it is hard work. Sometimes a mommy just needs a little down time before she is ready to jump back into the fray.

    I only had two complaints about the book. One was the overuse of ellipses. I felt like most of those could have been done away with and made into shorter sentences. The other complaint is the very last sentence which is kind of awkward to read. Other than that, I loved the book!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 20, 2013

    Baby Penguins Everywhere is now our household favorite! The beau

    Baby Penguins Everywhere is now our household favorite! The beautiful illustrations and unique story are a perfect combo. My daughters love the baby penguins, and I love the mama. A must buy for your home library. Can't wait for another book from M. Guion.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 13, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

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