365 Penguins

365 Penguins
Jean-Luc Fromental &
Joëlle Jolivet
Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN 978-0-8109-4460-2

It’s hard not to love penguins. They are such spiffy dressers and great tap dancers. (This was actually documented in a recent motion picture!) Imagine how exciting it would be to receive a penguin in a box on New Year’s Day with only a simple note to explain, “I’m number 1. Feed me when I’m hungry.” Now imagine the surprise and joy of receiving another penguin the next morning. And the next and the next and the next . . .

For a full year, the family in this funny picture book receives a penguin a day and problems multiply as their flock grows. Dad becomes obsessed with organizing the penguins. Mom gets more than a little crazed and the kids just go with the flow. Or is that floe?

Simple graphic-arts style illustrations in a limited palette and a large trim size for this book make it great for young kids who will get a kick out of counting the very silly penguins and finding the one with blue feet who shows up on day 144. (Visualize a penguin-Waldo who eats fish.) Older kids and parents will enjoy the family’s reaction to the penguins as the year progresses and they are so horribly outnumbered. A bit of math and ecology play into the tale, but never overload the story in this delightful book. Makes you want to put on a tux and dance like a penguin!