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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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On a night alive with the lights of the Aurora Australis, a distant and abandoned weather station holds the only hope for a young emperor penguin who lies close to death on the most remote ice sheet in Antartica.

His name is Pengey Penguin.

Even though he was abandoned under the most unusual circumstances, he grew to be an adventurous spirit, undaunted by his troubles and driven by unwavering devotion to his principles and the love of Wendy, the human who saved him from certain death by starvation.

Now it should be thoroughly understood that Pengey is not very tall and he is certainly not very strong, but he is very quick, extremely smart, exceedingly polite and very well mannered.

This is his story, or at least how it all began.

He already likes you, and it's his greatest wish that you'll like him, all his friends, and his bedtime story, too.

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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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This board book, straightforward in concept, begins with the lines "Busy, busy penguins. What are they doing?"

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Learn about the wonderful world of Emperor penguins, from the courtship rituals through the birth of the chicks.

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The creator of the popular Bloom County comic strip takes up the well-worn theme of an animal who helps Santa.