A quirky new tale from a rising talent -- in which a bossy little boy receives a surprising comeuppance. When Ben rips open his present, he finds a penguin inside. "Hello, Penguin!" he says. "What shall we play?" But Penguin says nothing. Even when Ben tickles its belly, sings a funny song, does a dizzy dance, stands on his head, sticks out his tongue, and resorts to increasingly rude and drastic measures, Penguin makes no response. What will it take for Penguin to say something -- or for Ben to understand what Penguin has to say? Fresh, spare illustrations bring whimsy to this wonderful tale, in which a silent Penguin turns marvelously eloquent and a little boy finally gets his heart's desire.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Finding the Right Words:
Penguin is a delightful picture book that not only is likely to appeal to imaginative young children but also can shed some light for parents on the frustrations of early language development. Children whose language is still emerging can act the little boy in the story--or the penguin as they try to find the right words to say or to respond to someone else. One of the delights of the book is the way imaginative play is built right into the book as a toy lion turns ferocious and then is tamed again.
Penguin Says...:
My almost 2 year old son loves this book and we read it day and night. The repetitive nature of the story gives him lots of opportunities to join in the reading plus he is able to act out the way the main character, Ben, interacts with his new penguin. It is always a lot of fun.
Cute book:
We've purchased about 30 books in the past 6 months for our 2-year-old and this is definitely one of the better books we've read. The illustrations are good (not-too-cluttered) and the language is age-appropriate for the 2 to 4 year old range. The book has continued to make both me and my wife smile even after multiple readings to our child.
Adourable for toddlers +:
I read this to my 2.5 year old last night (recommended reading after a bath, in jammies, snuggling outside) and she loved it. Although minimal in words, the pictures were very expressive, and my daughter could follow along easily. By the second reading, she told ME the story. Unlike the recommendation of starting with 4 year olds, definitely a hit with toddlers as well... although she didn't care for the brief appearance of the lion.
