PENGUINS DON'T WEAR SWEATERS!

Name: PENGUINS DON'T WEAR SWEATERS!
Author: Marikka Tamura
ISBN: 978-1-101-99696-6

by Marikka Tamura ; illustrated by Daniel Rieley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2018

It’s almost too cute to get the message across that people should knit sweaters for toy animals—not for the real critters.

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A cautionary tale for young readers about the aftermath of oil spills near penguin habitats.

Penguins frolic and feed in the ocean, showing off their black-and-white bodies and orange feet and beaks. They are busy doing what it is that penguins do: “huddling, cuddling, waddling” and “diving deep.” Then a tanker passes by and leaves “oil pools in inky puddles.” The penguins are in serious trouble until Big Boots with camera in hand appears. A campaign to knit sweaters for the penguins is the result until glove-clad hands show up to remove the sweaters and finally wash off the oil with toothbrushes. Tamura’s well-told tale of ecological disaster and proper penguin rescue is told in rhythmic but not rhyming couplets. Her author’s note references an actual event on Phillip Island, Australia (where visitors can view a penguin walk), and explains how knitted garments are actually harmful for penguins. Rieley’s digitized pencil, ink, and handmade textures are appealing. His palette of blues and whites for the ocean, sky, and ice provides a perfect setting, both aerial and eye-level, for the penguins. The knitted sweaters, with close-ups of needles in action, are colorful if inappropriate for the recipients. Note that one of them features the publisher’s penguin logo.

It’s almost too cute to get the message across that people should knit sweaters for toy animals—not for the real critters. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-101-99696-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE SLEIGH!

by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2023

A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FRUSTRATING BOOK!
by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems

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THE PIGEON WILL RIDE THE ROLLER COASTER!
by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems

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IT'S A SIGN!
by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey with Mo Willems ; illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey

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GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 2019

A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.

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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)