I am Actually a Penguin by Sean Taylor and Kasia Matyjaszek
| I am Actually a Penguin by Sean Taylor and Kasia Matyjaszek | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Anne Thompson
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| Summary: A very amusing and in many ways rather accurate story, with endearing illustrations, about the joys of make believe. This is great fun. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: July 2017 |
| Publisher: Templar Publishing | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1783704514 | |
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Do you know a child who loves to dress up? Well this is the perfect picture book for that child. Quite probably the perfect picture book for the parent of that child too.
The story begins with an introduction to a small girl who loves to wear her fancy dress outfits and for a little while be someone completely different. One day a rather special outfit arrives and our heroine dons the perfect penguin outfit. She loves it so much that she wears it everywhere and every day no matter what. This means that she wears it on the bus, to the supermarket, in the playground and even, would you believe, to a wedding. The problem is not only does she want to look like a penguin she wants to behave like one too because although her long suffering parents keep telling her that you are not ACTUALLY a penguin she, of course, is convinced that she is.
The determination of this small person to live in her imagined world is just lovely and I'm sure that many parents will recognise this attitude. The text is very funny and the illustrations add to the humour beautifully. The expressions on the little girl/penguin's face convey various emotions with very subtle changes. For example on one page she sits in the fridge looking for all the world like a sulky teenage penguin and then on the next she trudges up the stairs like a toddler penguin about to sob. The partnership of text and pictures works extremely well and definitely adds to this book's appeal.
Many small children will understand and empathise with the concept of dressing up and the power of imaginative play and this story would be lovely to share and read aloud. I loved the twist at the end and think young children will too. This is a very happy book.
Thank you to Templar Publishers for providing this review copy. In many ways the little girl reminded me of Lola in the Charlie and Lola series so you may also like to try I'm Just Not Keen On Spiders (Charlie and Lola) by Lauren Child.
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You can read more book reviews or buy I am Actually a Penguin by Sean Taylor and Kasia Matyjaszek at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy I am Actually a Penguin by Sean Taylor and Kasia Matyjaszek at Amazon.com.
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