Baby Penguins Everywhere!

November 5, 2012
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, â¨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 2â5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

November 1, 2012
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 creche, 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)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2012

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

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2012
Preschool-G Who doesn't love penguins, especially baby penguins (and, in this case, a whole lot of them)? The simple story begins with a lone penguin who enjoys peace and quiet but is sometimes lonely. When she finds a top hat in the water, a slew of little penguins pops out. Now the penguin is not lonely at all. In fact, she's very, very busy and more than a bit tired. So tired that she waddles away. Because we all need some time to be alone, writes Guion. The charming watercolor-and-pencil illustrations use plenty of white space to establish the frosty environs and add small splashes of color that detail the playfulness of the babiesfor example, the long, colored scarf that the babies pull (and keep pulling) out of the top hat. Of course, the older penguin does return to the chaotic fun of the large group, nicely fulfilling the theme that alone time is good, but so are friends. The backdrop may be cold, but this tale of friendship is very warm.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)