By Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2016
Board Book, 36 pages, ages 2- 4
Five little penguins wake up to snow and try their best to get ready to go outside to play. The excited penguins try to pull on scarves and mittens, boots and socks. As they venture out into the snow they slide down hills and find the snow getting deeper.
The colors are bright and the text is very simple, a good start for beginning readers.
Their Mama and the last of the 5 penguins finally join them for their snowy romp and then they head inside for cookies and sippies. Winter clothes begin to fly in disarray with the repeated word, “Off, off, off, off, off.
This book has some very unique qualities that I like. The story has no message, which is fine with me. For small children simply illustrating everyday life is confirming. Anybody who has tried to get more than two children ready to go out in the snow and play can relate to the pandemonium well illustrated by mittens and scarves flying about. The colors are bright and the text is very simple, a good start for beginning readers.
I realize that not everything will appeal to everybody and that’s the way it should be, and that I’m standing against the majority with my opinion of this book. The illustrations were too simple for my taste. The mother penguin, especially, looked like a pointy ghoul all in black, or perhaps a nun. It was difficult for me to see anything other than a big pointy black figure in the occasional apron. As the penguins were sliding down the snow they were depicted sliding down on the pointy part of their wings, and the mother and last penguin look as if they’re flying in another dimension.
Don’t get me wrong, I like this artist. The work he did in some of his other works such as The Bench by Meghan The Duchess of Sussex, and Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena were perfectly delightful.
I really enjoy this author as well. I’ve personally given her book Dog Heaven to several friends of mine and I also keep it in my own library. Her book Nativity also found a permanent spot on my shelves as well.
This book has been recommended for preschool through 2nd grade and I would think it more viable to say ages 1 – 4 due to its simplistic nature.
Little Penguins by Cynthia Ryant gets 3.5 stars from this reviewer.