Tina and the Penguin [Paperback]

Heather Dyer (Author), Mireille Levert (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Have you ever thought about bringing home a stray cat or dog? What about a penguin? When Tina meets a penguin who's tired of living in the zoo, she decides to help him escape! With quick thinking and a clever disguise, Tina sneaks her new-found friend home. But it doesn't take long for her to realize that a penguin is a very peculiar pet -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Levert's (the Molly Bear series) sly illustrations provide much of the humor in first-timer Dyer's story of a girl who harbors a runaway penguin for a couple of nerve-wracking days. On Tina's class trip to the zoo, a penguin throws himself at her feet. She smuggles him out dressed in her coat and her pink beret. Levert's gouache illustration shows Tina on the bus talking to her girlfriend, oblivious both to ugly plastic insects held out by marauding boys and to the penguin, mute and goggle-eyed beside them. Tina spends the rest of her time trying to make the penguin comfortable in her room while evading her mother's questions about the new "stuffed toy" on her bed ("Oh, that penguin. I got him at the zoo"). She feeds him sardines and sleeps with the window open, but when she finds him standing in the refrigerator and has to pick his feathers out of the jam, she admits, "I don't think this is working out." The next morning, the penguin disappears. However, a television special about Antarctica gives her a glimpse of a penguin in a pink beret. The tale doesn't provide all the satisfactions of typical alien-hidden-in-the-bedroom stories; Tina never has much fun with her penguin nor does she get a chance to display much heroism once she helps him flee from the zoo. But Levert's whimsical illustrations make up the deficit. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-When a penguin follows Tina after a class trip to the zoo, she dresses him in her pink coat and beret and takes him home on the bus. The expected difficulties of keeping him a secret ensue, but ultimately the bird finds a way to get back to Antarctica. The watercolor-and-gouache illustrations colorfully capture the action, showing Tina as she tries to accommodate her guest, and careful inspection reveals whimsical touches such as the boys on the school bus who hold out tiny creatures meant to frighten the child and her friend. Though the subject has broad appeal, this wordy story plugs along and is not as successful as Helen Lester's Tacky the Penguin (1988) and its sequels or Margret and H. A. Rey's Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World (2000, both Houghton).
Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553377672
• ISBN-13: 978-1553377672
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,143,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Zoos > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is adorable and a great story!, December 18, 2005

By 

L. Bender "L. Bender" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tina and the Penguin (Hardcover)

It's original and entertaining. I bought this for my son when he was about 3 1/2 and he's now 4 years old. We really enjoy the story. Highly recommended!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Penguin Pleasure, March 1, 2006

By 

Library Media Specialist (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tina and the Penguin (Hardcover)

I've read this book to my 1st graders for the past two years, and they love it! It's a cute story, very nicely illustrated, and a proven winner as a read-aloud. It's also a good example of how an author uses real information (non-fiction) about a subject to create fiction. Don't forget to wear your pink beret when you read this one!