Penguin and Pinecone

by Salina Yoon

Overview

Geisel Honor-winning author/illustrator Salina Yoon introduces readers to a beloved character in Penguin and Pinecone—a picture book about friendship that will warm your heart!

When curious little Penguin finds a lost pinecone in the snow, their friendship grows into something extraordinary! But Grandpa reminds Penguin that pinecones can't live in the snow—they belong in the warm forest far away. Can Penguin help Pinecone get home? And can they stay friends, even if they're miles apart?

Prolific author/illustrator Salina Yoon's spare text and bright, energetic illustrations bring to life this endearing story celebrating friendships lost and found, and overcoming the odds to be with the one you love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802728432
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	10/02/2012
Series:	Penguin
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	112,453
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 9.34(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Salina Yoon is an award-winning author/illustrator of nearly 150 books for children, such as Penguin and Pinecone, Penguin on Vacation, Penguin in Love, Penguin and Pumpkin, Penguin's Big Adventure, Penguin's Christmas Wish, Found, Stormy Night, Bear's Big Day, and Be a Friend, as well as the Duck, Duck, Porcupine chapter book series—including the Geisel Honor winner My Kite is Stuck!. She studied art and design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and now lives in San Diego with her family.

www.salinayoon.com www.facebook.com/PenguinandPinecone

Editorial Reviews

Readers familiar with Frank Asch’s Happy Birthday, Moon may think they are in for a similar story: a bighearted animal bonds with an inanimate object and endearingly projects a host of feelings onto it. But in Yoon’s story, the object—a pinecone—actually does have a personality. It shivers and sneezes in the cold and enjoys playing with Penguin. But, as Penguin’s grandfather tells him, a pinecone “can’t grow big and strong on the ice,” so Penguin makes a difficult journey to bring his friend to the nearest forest; his labors are rewarded when he returns to the forest years later and finds that Pinecone is now a towering tree—still wearing the scarf that Penguin knit for him. “Penguin and Pinecone may have been far apart,” writes Yoon, “but they always stayed in each other’s hearts.” Yoon’s minimalist digital artwork, set mostly along a single plane, feels bracingly wintry with its cool, saturated palette, scratchboard textures, and thick black outlining. Most important, it provides a suitable stage for Penguin to be his kind and generous self. Ages 3–6. Agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Yoon’s cute, boldly lined characters and graphic compositions tell the story in a series of spots, full-page images, and thought bubbles. This picture book, like many before it, proves that love comes in many forms." - Booklist

"Crisp illustrations that capture a genuinely loving heart . . . a strong if whimsical choice for those separated from loved ones." - Kirkus Reviews

"Yoon's story of an unlikely interspecies friendship is both funny and sweet . . . let's hope that, as the Antarctic Ambassador of Friendship, Penguin, too, shall return in more adventures." - Horn Book Magazine on PENGUIN ON VACATION

"Readers will respond to this warm tale of finding love." - Kirkus Reviews on PENGUIN IN LOVE

From the Publisher

A tale of friendship that grows even through a separation. A little penguin with an orange scarf opens his heart to a shivering little pinecone. With care and concern, Penguin immediately knits a scarf for his new friend. Whooshing and whee-ing the day together cements their love for each other. But Grandpa says that Pinecone belongs in the forest far away because it is too cold here. Showing continued concern for his companion, Penguin packs his sled for a long journey. Wanting only what is best for Pinecone, the little bird leaves him in a love-filled nest in the forest and returns to his winter home. With the passage of time, Penguin has grown big and strong but has not forgotten his forest friend. Has Pinecone grown big and strong, too? She (he?) sure has. With crisp illustrations that capture a genuinely loving heart, this story addresses the issue of missing a best friend. The illustrations are well balanced with the text, using a simple color palette while still showing the emotions of both the bird and his unusual friend (no simple task). A strong if whimsical choice for those separated from loved ones. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—When a curious penguin stumbles upon a pinecone, he doesn't quite know what it is. It doesn't seem to be a snowball, or an egg, or anything to eat, but it does seem to be very cold. Penguin knits it a scarf and thus begins a beautiful friendship. The cartoon illustrations are done with thick rounded lines, bright colors, and plenty of white space to give this story warmth and personality. Pinecone, overall a fairly quiet friend, visibly shivers, says "brrrr," and even starts sneezing. When Penguin's grandpa advocates taking him to the faraway forest where he can thrive, Penguin puts his own loneliness aside for his friend's well being. Though they can't live in the same place, the two remain close always. The spare text and clean illustrations, done in a nice variety of spot art and single and double pages, work well for sharing with a group while the tale provides great opportunities for talking one-on-one. A lovely story of a caring and unselfish friendship.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

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