Augustine [Hardcover]

Melanie Watt (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Moving all the way from the South Pole to the North Pole isn't easy for the young penguin Augustine. Uprooted from her home, she misses her friends, her grandma and grandpa and her old bedroom. There are all kinds of unfamiliar faces at the North Pole, and everything looks strange and different. When it's time to go to her new school, Augustine gets cold feet. But with the help of a few colored pencils and some inspiration from Picasso, this shy, artistic young penguin discovers a way to break the ice with her classmates and feel at home on the other end of the world. Augustine's penguinized versions of van Gogh, Munch, Picasso and others are a delightful way to introduce children to art. A clever, charming story told from a penguin's eye view, Augustine illustrates that art is all around us -- and it is a language everyone understands.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2 Up–Augustine is a South Pole penguin whose family is relocating to the North Pole. Named after Pierre-Auguste Renoir, she loves to draw. She is apparently inspired by Magritte, Monet, Munch, Picasso, and Renoir, and the book is illustrated with snippets of her interpretations of their work. While the little bird and her family seem to enjoy their new home, Augustine is shy in school and worries about making friends. But her artwork breaks the ice, and she comfortably adjusts to her new environment. This is a useful attempt to introduce children to art and to dealing with changes in their lives, but there might be a bit too much going on here. The acrylic-and-pencil artwork is naturally childlike, an effective touch. However, penguins do not live in the North Pole, so even though this fictional introduction to art is somewhat well done, the basis of the story is unsettling. Overall, this picture book may be too ambitious.–Andrea Tarr, Corona Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Augustine the penguin and her family live in a house at the South Pole. When Father takes a job at the North Pole, they pack up, board a plane, and move to their new home. Though Augustine is nervous about entering a different school and shy about meeting her classmates, everyone is so intrigued by her drawings and paintings that she quickly makes friends. Page layout is unusual, with nine little illustrations in squares on the left-hand pages, and one picture accompanying the text on the right. On each spread, one square shows a famous painting, drawn in Augustine's simplified style and related to something on the facing page. For instance, his rendering of Van Gogh's The Bedroom bears an uncanny resemblance to Augustine's own room, pictured on the right. The paintings are identified on the last page. Watt's distinctive, vividly colored illustrations create eye-catching effects. This book has great classroom potential as a lead-in to famous painters, from Leonardo da Vinci to Andy Warhol. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553378857
• ISBN-13: 978-1553378853
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #721,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melanie Watt lives in Montreal, Quebec. She is the author and illustrator of a number of children's books including Scaredy Squirrel and Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable, May 9, 2007

By 

Bee (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Augustine (Hardcover)

This is the story of Augustine who's moving to the pole. She likes to draw, and uses that talent to make new friends at her new school.
The adult reading the story to a child will have lots of fun too since the author used famous paintings as inspiration for Augustine's art work. (they're listed at the end of the book in case you were unable to identify them all !)
This is a little plus for this already adorable book. The illustrations are wonderful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and full of art references and play on words, November 21, 2008

By 

Jill (Colorado) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Augustine (Hardcover)

This is a cute and beautiful book and if your child loves art and knows about famous paintings, it's even better! My daughter is 6 and loves this book! Melanie Watts is an awesome children's book author, we are also big fans of Scaredy Squirrel! This is also a good book for a child who is moving away. Give this to them for a gift with a drawing pad and some markers or crayons.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Augustine, March 20, 2010

By 

A. Wilkinson (Vacouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Augustine (Hardcover)

It is incredible how with such a few words the writer was able to convey the emotional and physical journey of Augustine the penguin. The book Augustine takes you on a journey showing the reader the many steps from saying goodbye to the familiar to embracing the new surroundings, finally settling and finding oneself a new. The illustrations are incredibly colorful and bright and the story is very well written. In this era where a lot of people are moving from one country and place to another I'm sure many parents and children would be able to relate to the anxieties related to the whole process of moving to a new place. We found this book exceptional!