Penguin Problems (Animal Problems) - Hardcover

John, Jory

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0553513370 ISBN 13: 9780553513370

Publisher: Random House Studio, 2016

Synopsis

★ An Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year selection
★ "Well-paced, bursting with humor, and charmingly misanthropic."-- Kirkus Reviews starred review

A penguin levels with human readers about what penguin life is really like--and it isn't all fun and games. A hilarious first collaboration from Jory John (All my friends are dead. and Quit Calling Me a Monster!) and Lane Smith (The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales).
 
Have you ever considered running away to Antarctica? Of course you have! Because it's a land free of worries and responsibilities! All of your problems will surely be blown away by the icy winds of that lawless paradise! . . . Won't they?
 
Think again, my friend. This penguin has come to tell you that his life down there is no more a picnic than yours is here. For starters, it is FREEZING. Also, penguins have a ton of natural predators. Plus, can you imagine trying to find your mom in a big ol' crowd of identical penguins? No, thank you.
 
Yes, it seems there is no escaping the drudgery of your daily grind, whatever it might be. Or perhaps we've just learned that grumps are everywhere. . . .
 
Jory John and Lane Smith let us decide. This book is sure to tickle kids' funny bones and will elicit appreciative sighs from the adults reading it aloud.

About this title

About the Author

JORY JOHN is the author of the picture books I Will Chomp You!, Quit Calling Me a Monster!, and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book Goodnight Already!. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Terrible Two, and the national bestseller All my friends are dead, among many other books. For six years, Jory taught writing at 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and educational center in San Francisco.
 
LANE SMITH has written and illustrated a number of novels and picture books for children, including two Caldecott Honor titles. He was a 2014 recipient of a Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award and was named an Honor Artist by the Eric Carle Museum. He lives with his wife, book designer Molly Leach, in rural Connecticut.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—It's not easy being a penguin. As a world-weary avian narrator points out, there's plenty that can (and does) go wrong: "My beak is cold." "It snowed some more last night, and I don't even like the snow." "The ocean smells too salty today." An even chillier fishing expedition does not improve his demeanor: "Oh, great. An orca. Oh, great. A leopard seal. Oh, great. A shark. What is it with this place?" Smith's sponge-textured illustrations expand upon the text's downbeat doldrums with visual humor and delightfully deadpan facial expressions. Still hungry, the penguin pulls out of the water just before being gulped down by the bigger seal (which is about to be consumed by the even larger shark, about to be swallowed by the huge orca). His melancholy monologue continues until a stately walrus catches his attention and delivers a wise (and lengthy and slightly bombastic) oration about appreciating the good things in life. Grudgingly, Penguin embraces a new perspective. He sits on a pristine peak, gazes at gracefully falling flurries, and muses, "Maybe things will work out, after all"—or not (the page turn reveals that the gentle snowflakes have turned into a full-fledged storm and Penguin has resumed his grousing). This sublime pairing of author and artist results in a rib-tickling exploration of what it means to look at the unsunny side. VERDICT Share this book with Claire Messer's Grumpy Pants for a storytime starring persnickety penguins.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Studio
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0553513370
• ISBN 13: 9780553513370
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Smith Lane
• Number of pages: 32