Slight and self-referential, this is not one of Penguin’s more memorable adventures.
Another adventure starring Yoon’s small penguin with the big orange scarf (Penguin and Pumpkin, 2014, etc.).
Penguin wants to be the first penguin to set foot on the otherwise penguinless North Pole. Slinging on his backpack, he heads north. On the way, he passes several friends making things that gain greater significance later in the book: a large colorful quilt, a big basket, and a very long rope. He bypasses them all, intent on his quest. When he finally gets to the North Pole, he finds there are no other penguins, only a cute polar bear cub with whom he shares some adventures riding on a whale, building ice forts, and exploring the Arctic Sea. The purpose of the earlier activities of his penguin friends becomes apparent when they swoop down in a stylish hot air balloon and carry him back to their Antarctic home. Yoon’s bold, black-outlined, vividly colored illustrations compensate somewhat for the weak, unimaginative storyline. This lack of depth is due in part to the fact that some key details can only be understood with knowledge of previous books in the series. Readers who don’t know that Penguin is an avid knitter or that he made friends with a pine cone and a crab in previous outings will be mystified by these references, since their appearances in this story do not support the plot.
Slight and self-referential, this is not one of Penguin’s more memorable adventures. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8027-3828-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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