THE UNUSUAL PENGUIN

A penguin mother struggles to parent the irregular bird she’s adopted in MacRae’s picture book.

When an eyelash-adorned penguin finds an abandoned egg, she assumes responsibility and is delighted with her adopted progeny even though, with his dark mass of feathers, he looks unlike other penguin chicks. Despite many physical differences (“His feathers weren’t right. / His flippers weren’t floppy. / His wings were too long, / His tux was all sloppy”), all the penguins regard her young hatchling as a member of their own species and attempt to bring him into line. Unfortunately, he cannot swim and would not be able to weather icy water. In Fernandez’s cartoony, full-color illustrations, slightly anthropomorphized penguins attend a “penguin school” in an igloo; serene and austere watercolor Antarctic landscapes add visual interest. As in any number of “Ugly Duckling” remakes, the young chick has a moment of despair, seated atop an icy sunset cliff, before seeing an eagle circling above him in the air; as it turns out, those who can’t swim can sometimes fly. “Penguins and eagles are incredible creatures. But if judged as the same, they fall short on all features,” the author tidily summarizes. MacRae’s author bio and dedication allude to her son’s autism, rendering her fable of differing abilities socially specific.

A well-rhymed tale celebrating difference.