Customer Reviews

Penguin

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this to my 2.5 year old last night (recommended reading after a bath, in jammies, snuggling outside) and she loved it. Although minimal in words, the pictures were very expressive, and my daughter could follow along easily. By the second reading, she told ME the story. Unlike the recommendation of starting with 4 year olds, definitely a hit with toddlers as well... although she didn't care for the brief appearance of the lion.

Penguin seems not to be able to talk.

This won't surprise parents and other adult readers since he's a present in a box wrapped in polka dot paper. Ben, the recipient, rips off the paper, opens the box, and the action gets underway.

"Hello Penguin" says Ben.

That's when the problems start.

Penguin, who looks like a fat tuxedoed bowling pin with undersized feet and an oversized beak, doesn't respond.

Oh yeah. He also has a tail. It looks to be about the right size.

Ben tries just about everything (including trying to feed Penguin to a passing lion) in the effort to elicit a response from his new friend.

Nothing works.

Finally, in sheer exasperation he shouts, "SAY SOMETHING!"

This is when things spin out of control.

Lion, who happens to be a shade of turquoise with a bright blue mane, is apparently startled by the loud noise and gobbles up Ben.

After this, Lion looks quite contented, but suddenly Penguin looks mad. He glares at Lion, and then, most unexpectedly, bites him on the nose, securing Ben's release.

This catharsis cures Penguin of his speech-impaired condition. He now waxes eloquent, in a rich and colorful pictorial language all his own.

Polly Dunbar has written a delightful and very satisfying book, clearly deserving of its status as 2007 Booktrust Early Years Awards Winner (Pre-School Category).

We've purchased about 30 books in the past 6 months for our 2-year-old and this is definitely one of the better books we've read. The illustrations are good (not-too-cluttered) and the language is age-appropriate for the 2 to 4 year old range. The book has continued to make both me and my wife smile even after multiple readings to our child.

Penguin is a delightful picture book that not only is likely to appeal to imaginative young children but also can shed some light for parents on the frustrations of early language development. Children whose language is still emerging can act the little boy in the story--or the penguin as they try to find the right words to say or to respond to someone else. One of the delights of the book is the way imaginative play is built right into the book as a toy lion turns ferocious and then is tamed again.

In this delightful little tale from Polly Dunbar, a little boy named Ben receives a live penguin as a present. The boy is eager to become friends with the animal and have it talk. He tries everything to get the animal to speak, but the penguin doesn't say a word. Then a lion comes along and really makes the story interesting.

This is a wonderful book that will appeal not only to younger children who can't read, but to children who are just beginning to read. The book is very playful and imaginative with just the right word combination.

I love penguins and I loved this book and look forward to sharing it with children I know.

My 4 year old is a penguin fanatic and this book fits the bill. It has a silly dry humor that she totally gets. I would recommend this one.

My almost 2 year old son loves this book and we read it day and night. The repetitive nature of the story gives him lots of opportunities to join in the reading plus he is able to act out the way the main character, Ben, interacts with his new penguin. It is always a lot of fun.

Our 2.5 year old son loves the "Penguin Book." You need to find a good preface for the lion appearance--it might be scary for some. This is why I think this book is better introduced young in some ways because younger children don't have all the background to make this interaction challenging. Either way, my son loves it and told me all about it at the end! We read it every night.