Penguin Problems

June 13, 2016
Being a penguin is no day at the park: “It’s way too early. My beak is cold. What’s with all the squawking, you guys?” John’s bumbling, bleary-eyed penguin has a hard time on land, and the ocean depths are even worse: “Oh, great. A leopard seal. Oh, great. A shark.... What is it with this place?” Then there’s the matter of parents: “Mom?” the penguin asks another penguin near a crowd of look-alike penguins. “I literally have no idea who you are,” the other penguin replies. Just when things look hopeless, a passing walrus offers a comforting (if long-winded) sermon, and the penguin gets a moment of respite from his angst. John (I Love You Already) delivers a rat-a-tat series of laughs, and Smith’s (There Is a Tribe of Kids) mottled, minimalist polar landscapes highlight the penguin’s awkward moments. His story is classic comedy, an examination of the delicate balancing act between total despair (“I have so many problems! And nobody even cares!” the penguin cries) and the resolve to stumble on. Ages 3–7. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
Being a penguin isn't all it's cracked up to be in John and Smith's debut collaboration.A small penguin sleeping on a snow mound reluctantly wakes up, instantly exasperated with everything. Bemoaning the cold, the snow, and other things readers might take for granted as penguin pleasures, the protagonist heads off to begin a day full of one downer after another. The fish the penguin would like to eat for breakfast are disobliging about being caught; the ocean is too salty and cold, and it is inconveniently full of predators; and even the smallest things about being a penguin (waddling, flightlessness, and looking exactly like everyone else) are intolerably irritating. Increasingly outraged by a litany of injustices worthy of Judith Viorst's classic grump Alexander, the penguin is offered a more balanced if somewhat lofty perspective by a walrus who suggests that, difficulties notwithstanding, the penguin is surrounded by beauty and love. Smith's singular visual characterization follows through on John's ironic humor throughout the narrative, and though both the visual and textual fall momentarily and appropriately flat when the walrus' speech takes over an entire page, the penguin, who concedes the walrus' point, nevertheless gets the last word in an admirable and important validation of personal feelings, grumbles and all. Well-paced, bursting with humor, and charmingly misanthropic. (Picture book. 3-7)

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August 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-It's not easy being a penguin. As a world-weary avian narrator points out, there's plenty that can (and does) go wrong: "My beak is cold." "It snowed some more last night, and I don't even like the snow." "The ocean smells too salty today." An even chillier fishing expedition does not improve his demeanor: "Oh, great. An orca. Oh, great. A leopard seal. Oh, great. A shark. What is it with this place?" Smith's sponge-textured illustrations expand upon the text's downbeat doldrums with visual humor and delightfully deadpan facial expressions. Still hungry, the penguin pulls out of the water just before being gulped down by the bigger seal (which is about to be consumed by the even larger shark, about to be swallowed by the huge orca). His melancholy monologue continues until a stately walrus catches his attention and delivers a wise (and lengthy and slightly bombastic) oration about appreciating the good things in life. Grudgingly, Penguin embraces a new perspective. He sits on a pristine peak, gazes at gracefully falling flurries, and muses, "Maybe things will work out, after all"-or not (the page turn reveals that the gentle snowflakes have turned into a full-fledged storm and Penguin has resumed his grousing). This sublime pairing of author and artist results in a rib-tickling exploration of what it means to look at the unsunny side. VERDICT Share this book with Claire Messer's Grumpy Pants for a storytime starring persnickety penguins.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
Preschool-G Penguins don't seem to have a care in the world, but the waddling star of John and Smith's new picture book is here to set you straight. This penguin doesn't like the cold, the early morning, the salty smell of the ocean, or the constant squawking, and everyone looks exactly the same. What is it with this place? Thanks to Penguin's deadpan, saucer-eyed expression, all that negative attitude becomes pretty hilarious, and when a well-meaning walrus tries to give Penguin a lesson in gratitude, his over-the-top reaction is even sillier. Smith's multimedia illustrations, in a paint-splattered texture and minimal palette, add to the humor, particularly when he contrasts crowds of identical penguins with his grouchy protagonist. Soon, though, the penguin comes around to the walrus' view, and he starts to appreciate the icy beauty of the mountains and proximity of his friends (until his beak gets cold again, that is). With wry humor and distinctive artwork, this off-kilter tale will be right at home with fans of Jon Klassen's This Is Not My Hat (2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)