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Ages 1^-4. In simple, loving words, a small penguin tells her mother about the favorite things they do together. The activities are elemental ("I like it when you hold my hand. I like it when you let me help"). Bright, clear pictures on differently colored pages show the parent and child physically close and enjoying themselves while they play, dance, read, splash, hug, tickle, and kiss good night. Part of the Red Wagon Preschool series, this is a book to read and act out. Toddlers will learn words and colors, and they will see that books are about them. Hazel Rochman

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Dramatic illustrations deftly blend light and shadow as they depict the rigorous--and threatened--existence of "emperor penguins, Weddell seals and Adelie penguins" on the frozen continent.

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Ah, the dreaded storyteller's block. Whiteblack the penguin, Chief Storyteller of Penguinland's W-O-N-S radio station, has run out of material. "I guess I'll take a vacation and travel," he decides. "Travelers always have lots of stories." And off Whiteblack goes, on the journey of a lifetime. Before the trip is over, this intrepid traveler has been shipwrecked on an iceberg ("I've always wanted to be in an accident"), been shot out of a cannon, acted as midwife to two hatching ostriches, crossed the desert--partway on a camel and the rest on a homemade scooter, and fallen out of an airplane, only to land in a fishnet. With plenty of new stories to share, Whiteblack returns to a hero's welcome in Penguinland.

Well-loved for their Curious George stories, Margret and H. A. Rey teamed up on many other picture books over their lifetime together. But little did the reading world know, yet another marvelous book lay fallow in their files for over 60 years. Its discovery, after Margret Rey's death in 1998, is a blessing for the countless fans of this incredible creative pair. Whiteblack is a charming and positive fellow, a worthy model for any world traveler. Margret Rey believed Whiteblack was one of H. A.'s and her best books--and we concur. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

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Through characteristically snappy wordplay, cartoonist Breathed ( The Last Basselope ) introduces a true "goodnight opus" that's both bedtime tale and vehicle for his own Opus the penguin. According to a self-consciously whimsical narrative--whose rhyme structure strongly resembles that of " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas"--Opus slips into "pink bunny jammies" and listens to his grandmother reciting his favorite story. However, when Grandma dozes off, a mischievous Opus admits, "I departed the text." Here, black-and-white illustrations give way to arresting technicolor a la The Wizard of Oz . Opus joins a mouse, a helium-balloon-headed pillow and a gargatuan purple critter on a flying tricycle to bid sweet dreams to the holsteins in the Milky Way (has someone been reading Gary Larson's Cows of Our Planet? ). Breathed demonstrates his airbrush mastery with stark color contrasts and luminescent spreads that fairly pop off the page. Nevertheless, he delivers his message--to "depart the text" of ordinary life for flights of fancy--in florid language that young readers may find opaque; beneath the window dressing, his clear attempt to woo the Dr. Seuss crowd seems soulless. All ages.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Kindergarten-Grade 2ATacky the Penguin (Houghton, 1988) stars in another adventure. While he is surfing, Tacky's brightly flowered shirt catches a gust of wind, and, after many days, he finds himself on a tropical island. There, he encounters a large gray rock that turns out to be an elephant. The elephant mistakes Tacky for a bouquet of blossoms just right for his table. To escape, Tacky must prove that he really is a bird by doing "something penguinish." He marches, dives, slides, and hops across the food-filled table with a bit too much vigor and ruins the elephant's tablecloth. The penguin's luck holds, however, and the elephant loves his colorful new tablecloth. With snacks and three kisses, Tacky returns home where he is welcomed as "an odd bird, a nice bird to have around." The story will appeal to children who know that making a mess can cause trouble. The soft, watercolor illustrations and simple story line make this a good choice for reading aloud.AMarty Abbott Goodman, L.J. Bell Elementary School, Rockingham, NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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PreSchool-Grade 2-After several years in which his Christmas wishes have gone awry, Joe gets smart and writes Santa a detailed and exact description of the present he wants-a real live penguin.

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Judy Sierra, author of the well-loved picture books Counting Crocodiles and The House That Drac Built, delights young readers again, this time paying poetic tribute to the distinguished-yet-waddling emperor penguin of icy Antarctica.

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PreSchool-Grade 2%u2013Once there was a boy who found a penguin at his door. From this opening line to the very end, this gentle story of friendship will capture young readers' imaginations.

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Judy Sierra, author of the well-loved picture books Counting Crocodiles and The House That Drac Built, delights young readers again, this time paying poetic tribute to the distinguished-yet-waddling emperor penguin of icy Antarctica. Comical, cartoonish paintings by accomplished illustrators (and penguin lovers) Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey combined with Sierra's lively poems will have your favorite kids giggling and, perhaps, wanting a pet baby penguin of their own!

Youngsters will dive, swim, and glide through playful poems such as "My Father's Feet," which begins: "To keep myself up on the ice,/I find my father's feet are nice./I snuggle in his belly fluff,/And that's how I stay warm enough." "Penguin's Swim" starts, "Ten little penguins all in a line--/One jumps in and now there are nine./Nine little penguins, how they hesitate--/One tumbles in and now there are eight." Sierra's poems are based on the lives and habits of emperor penguins, so your kids will learn about life in the Antarctic from a penguin's perspective.

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From Publishers Weekly
"That prince among penguins returns," noted PW. "Here Tacky gets the royal treatment after he innocently tries on the emperor penguin's clothes and the emperor penguin gets a welcome break from pomp and ceremony." Ages 4-8. (Aug)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.