Five Penguin Picture Books

I used to have a roommate who loved penguins. A lot. Which means that I often pay attention when a good book comes out that has penguins in it. Also, it is the time of year when it is cold and snowy…and I feel like I waddle around in my snow clothes the same way that penguins do. Anyway, all of this is to say that I apparently have penguins on my mind—so I will tell you about five of my favorite penguin-themed picture books. Enjoy!

Amos McGee Misses the Bus

By Philip C. Stead

Illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Roaring Brook Press, 2021. Picture Book.

In this clever sequel to the Caldecott winner A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Amos McGee plans to have a special day with all of the animals at the zoo—including the penguin. However, he ends up missing his bus and isn’t able to treat the animals to the special outing without a little bit of help.

Little Penguins

By Cynthia Rylant

Illustrated by Christian Robinson

Schwartz & Wade Books, 2016. Picture Book.

In this sweet picture book, five little penguins are excited to bundle up and head outside on the first snowy day of winter. Young readers will enjoy watching all the fun these little penguins have while playing in the snow.

Penguin Problems

By Jory John

Illustrated by Lane Smith

Random House, 2016. Picture Book.

Life is quite happy and carefree—unless you are a penguin that has loads of problems! This hilarious book talks about all of the problems that a particular penguin has, and why the reader should be sympathetic to the penguin’s plight.

Perfectly Polite Penguins, Not!

By Georgiana Deutsch

Illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan

Tiger Tales, 2019. Picture Book.

In this silly picture book on manners, all of the penguins are polite—except for Polly. She makes a lot of mischief…which leads to some not-quite-polite moments.

Vampenguin

By Lucy Ruth Cummings

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book.

While a family of vampires visits the zoo a young vampire trades places with a penguin for the duration of the outing. Although the vampire family and other zoo members don’t notice what has happened, the young vampire and the penguin enjoy a day of trading places.

Comments

Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Enigma Girls

The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog