The Trouble with Penguins

It doesn’t take a lot for a chummy group to come apart at the seams, as anyone who’s been to a kid’s birthday party knows. The same is true for the penguins in these pages: invited to a marshmallow roast by an ice cap’s child inhabitant, they initially have a great time sharing a single fire and adorably entertaining themselves—making snow angels and juggling marshmallows as they wait for their turn with the roasting stick. But sharing gets old fast, and the ocean is soon filled with several little ice floes, each one containing a penguin who has a roasting stick and a campfire of its very own—and who is now very lonely. “Thankfully,” writes debut author- illustrator Jordan-Glum, “penguins are full of good intentions and aren’t half bad at learning from their mistakes”; everyone regroups back on the ice cap for a hot beverage and a community campfire. The knowing, parental voice keeps the story warm at the core, while the fanciful polar landscape is brought to life in bold brushstrokes, fluffy textures, and splashes of aurora-like color. Ages 3–6. [em]Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio. (Nov.) [/em]