Tag: penguin

Plume: World Explorer (Tania McCartney)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Plume: World Explorer by Tania McCartney, a globe-trotting tale of exploration, curiosity, and adventure with an extra-adorable protagonist.

In the wilds of Antarctica lives a penguin named Plume – a very different sort of penguin, that is. While his penguin pals are content to the black and white landscape of their icy home, Plume has an insatiable curiosity to learn new hobbies, to experience new things, and to read new books. Through his books and visits with his package-courier pal Ava the albatross, Plume discovers new parts of the world that fascinate and invigorate him – if only he could fly to visit them like Ava does. One day, Plume makes a decision: he will no longer leave the exploring to others. This sets him off on a journey to far-flung locations to experience local foods, unique cultures, and new friends.

Absolutely delightful. With a combination of adorable illustrations, engaging text, and a fantastic message about curiosity and global community, this lovely little title takes readers on a journey just as edifying and enriching as Plume’s. McCartney’s illustrations are simply wonderful, creating appealing characters and gorgeous textures, especially in the scenes where Plume visits international locales. The story itself is wonderfully layered; part geography and culture lesson, part ode to the inquisitive mind, and part emphasis on the importance of diversity, readers can experience a richness of themes over an entertaining tale. A pronunciation guide may have helped in the backmatter, but other than that, this one is near-perfect in concept and execution. The length is great for elementary-aged bookworms, and JJ absolutely loved it. This one is a must-read for any young explorer, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved.

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Vampenguin (Lucy Ruth Cummins)

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Hello, friends! Our spooky season book today is Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins, a wild tale of a hilarious zoo switcheroo.

The Dracula family – Mom, Dad, Junior and the baby – are all excited for their Saturday trip to the zoo! Once inside, they head straight to their usual first stop – the penguin house. While marveling at all the different species, baby Dracula and a young penguin notice a striking similarity in their looks, and unbeknownst to the rest of the vampire family, decide to switch places. The Draculas go about their day at the zoo, visiting the different animals (many of whom notice the switch, even as the penguin shushes them), while baby vampire enjoys his day as a penguin: eating fish, making penguin friends, and terrorizing naughty children who knock on the glass. At the end of the day, the two switch back, the Draculas none the wiser – until they check their souvenir photo!

A riotous romp. Cummins expertly pairs dry, ironic text with delightful visuals to create a story that is full of laughs from beginning to end. The switch that drives the humor is never acknowledged in the text, making it something for readers to spot and follow along in the illustrations on their own; JJ had an absolute blast pointing out all the shenanigans that the penguin and baby vampire were getting into without the narrator “noticing”. Jokes within the text have multigenerational appeal; parents will appreciate a spread where text describes “seeing” several animals while the illustrations reveal only tails poking out from obstructions. The length was fine for an elementary storytime, and that’s about the age that children will understand the humor as well. JJ and I both loved it, and it made for a perfectly spooky-themed (but not scary) read. This one is a winner, and we highly recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Penguin Flies Home (Lita Judge)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Penguin Flies Home by Lita Judge, a sequel to her adorable Flight School.

Penguin is loving his new life at Flight School. Using the wire-and-feather harness contraption that his new friends gifted him in the first book, he is exploring the world from a brand new perspective as he soars over the clouds. The only thing that makes him sad is that he can’t share this new talent with all the friends he left behind at the South Pole. Seeing that their pupil and pal is homesick, the other birds plan a field trip… to Antarctica! Penguin’s old friends are delighted to see him, and he is equally eager to teach them everything he’s learned about flying. However, the other penguins simply aren’t as interested in achieving flight, and he realizes that his dreams are very different from theirs. He worries that his old friends must think he’s ridiculous for having such un-penguin-like goals, but he will find that when someone loves you, the differences don’t matter as much.

It’s rare that a sequel is even better than its predecessor, but this one absolutely is. Once again, the message is about not putting limits on your dreams, this time focusing on the idea that dreams should not be dictated by one’s background or community. Indeed, Penguin’s own anxieties of what the others will think of him are his hurdle in this book, and it’s an incredibly relatable emotion (a scene in which Penguin gazes at an aurora, contemplating his deep need to fly, is positively moving). The story resolves beautifully, with Penguin’s old and new friends coming together to show that while his dreams may differ from theirs, all they feel for him is love and pride. The art, from the round and cuddly penguins to the gangly flamingo and everyone in between, is delightful. The length is great, and JJ loved it. An uplighting treat, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved.

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Flight School (Lita Judge)

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Hello, friends! Today’s book is the adorable Flight School by Lita Judge, a wonderful story about a plucky little penguin with a dream: to fly.

When Flight School begins its new semester, the teachers find themselves with a rather unorthodox student: a penguin! They gently inform the little chick that while they would love to teach him, penguins aren’t meant to fly. The little penguin is insistent, however, that he has the soul of an eagle, and that he can and will soar among the clouds. He works hard, studying along with his classmates, despite not being able to keep up with them physically. At last, all the Flight School students are cleared for flight… except for penguin. Dejected, he accepts his limitations and begins to leave – until Flamingo suddenly has an idea that might help the determined little penguin make his dreams a reality.

LOVED this one. It’s a touchingly sweet story about how physical attributes should never deter you from your dreams, and serves as a powerful metaphor for differently-abled people not letting their bodies determine their fate. It also encourages others not to dismiss a person’s dreams based on physicality: Penguin’s teachers are the ones who build him a set of wings from their own feathers, then help him to stay up in the air. It’s a lovely message that encourages us to believe in the dreams of others and help them where we can. The illustrations are absolutely darling, and the length is great. JJ and I both loved this story about a community coming together to make a dream come true, and it’s definitely Baby Bookworm approved.

Penguin Problems (Jory John & Lane Smith)

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Hello, everyone! Today’s book is Penguin Problems by Jory John and Lane Smith, the story of a rather pessimistic penguin learning to appreciate his blessings.

Penguin problems: this guy has plenty. It’s too cold. The ocean smells too salty. It’s too hard to catch fish and he’s hungry. Everyone looks like him, and he looks like everyone else. It’s all got little Penguin pretty down. A friendly Walrus takes notice, and encourages Penguin to appreciate the things that make him happy, rather than his many frustrations. Will this improve the grumpy little penguin’s mood?

I had some mixed feelings about this one. The art is lovely, managing to take a somewhat barren landscape such as Antarctica and make it feel rich and majestic, and filling it with gorgeously illustrated creatures. Unfortunately, the story is a bit of a slog: Penguin’s whining is incessantly aggravating, and many of his complaints are simple problems that he himself can resolve but refuses to. Many other complaints are self-deprecating, which makes his sadness a bit more sympathetic, but when the pace stops dead during Walrus’ well-intentioned yet pedantic lecture, it’s hard to know who to root for. If the penguin has real self-esteem issues, “just cheer up” is not the right sentiment. And if Walrus is truly encouraging his optimism, well: Penguin immediately complains about Walrus’s interference, then begrudgingly admits that some things in his life are okay, then goes RIGHT BACK to whining. It’s a frustrating ending that leaves the reader feeling as though there has been no progress. There are some cute jokes and, again, the art is just lovely, but the pacing problems made it tough for a baby bookworm like JJ to get into, and I didn’t much like the overall message. If you’d like to peruse some charming Antarctic art, give this one a go. Otherwise, this might be one to skip.