Penguin by Polly Dunbar, Polly Dunbar (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

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.

Publishers Weekly

Dunbar's (Flyaway Katie) winsome mixed media illustrations carry the day in a story that pulls a few punches on readers. From the striking white cover illustrations of Penguin with the title displayed in textured primary colors, to the blue Sendak-like lion that precipitates the denouement, the illustrations are child-centered, deceptively simple, and satisfying. No matter what Ben does, his new penguin won't respond. The white background focuses attention on the characters, while Dunbar's use of line is particularly effective in showing Ben's mixed emotions. The abrupt resolution of Ben's problem, however, while creative, could be problematic. When a passing Lion swallows the frustrated toddler for noisily shouting, "SAY SOMETHING!" Penguin bites Lion's nose. Ben is instantly burped up, and finally, "Penguin [says] everything." But Penguin's way of "saying everything" is to use pictures; these are contained in a huge speech bubble. Because the book initially seems to present a real boy and his stuffed toy, Lion's appearance seems surprising, as if a phoenix emerged in the middle of a pioneer diary. This change in the construction of the reality of the story may be baffling or intriguing depending on the reader, but nearly everyone will enjoy retracing and comparing the narrator's story told in words with Penguin's story told in pictures. Ages 4-7. (July)

Children's Literature

As the book begins, Ben opens and greets his present, but the penguin therein does not answer. Nor does he laugh, no matter how hard Ben tries to amuse him. Ben even sticks out his tongue and imitates him but gets no response. Desperate, he ties Penguin to a rocket and shoots him off, but he returns "without a word." Ben offers Penguin to a lion, who does not want him. Getting more and more upset, Ben shouts, "SAY SOMETHING!" To our shocked surprise, Lion eats noisy Ben! More surprising, Penguin bites Lion's nose and out flies Ben. "And Penguin said…" But what he says is all in picture symbol rather than written words. On a double page in the child-like symbols Dunbar assigns, we see all the previous actions of the story in rebus form. Dunbar uses mixed media to depict the many moods Ben expresses with no settings, just the cute youngster in his green pajamas and the silent bird. Later the very large blue lion makes his entrance. The final pages show Ben hugging the penguin, who expresses his feelings in a speech balloon containing a red heart, while the lion walks off the opposite page with "The End" on a sign on his tail. An unusual but fine example of visual storytelling.

Blair ChristolonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

PreS-K
A pajama-clad toddler opens his present to find a toy penguin. Much to Ben's chagrin, the bird doesn't say anything, no matter how hard the boy tries to engage it-singing, dancing, even sticking out his tongue in exasperation. It isn't until a blue lion chomps on the child that Penguin jumps into action and rescues his new pal. Facial features on each character, down to even the simplest dots used for eyeballs, show a range of expressions from anger to frustration and, finally, love. The attractive, spare illustrations in mixed media are focused and centered on a white background. The culminating spread says it all-with a heart. A tender supplement for toy and companionship titles.

Kirkus Reviews

In this fanciful tale, a boy unwraps a gift penguin and tries to make it talk. When his entertaining antics fail, Ben tries prodding, imitating and ignoring Penguin, then shifts to even rasher methods, including strapping the bird to an outer-space-bound rocket. When Ben tries to feed Penguin to a large powder-blue lion, the creature swallows the obstreperous boy instead. Penguin, finally galvanized, bites Lion "very hard on the nose," freeing Ben. Penguin finally lets loose with the speechifying, which Dunbar charmingly depicts as a giant word bubble with child-like pictograms that summarize the adventure. Visually, Ben's contortions and Lion's aplomb hearken back to early Sendak. While it's at first unclear whether the immutable Penguin is a stuffed toy, a pet or something else entirely, kids will know-by story's end at the very latest-that this bird's a friend. An attractively designed, child-appealing package. (Picture book. 4-6)

Product Details

• ISBN: 0763634042
  
• ISBN-13: 9780763634049
• Format: Paperback, 40pp
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Pub. Date: June 2007
• Sales Rank: 92,222
• Age Range: 4 to 7