Walker Little Penguin

Pip is a playful, three-year-old Adelie penguin. She's not nearly as big as the Emperor penguins, who also live in the Antarctic and turn up their noses when she passes. However, after Pip's played with her friend, William, the sperm whale, she doesn't feel so small anymore. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Pip is a three-year-old Adelie penguin who lives in the Antarctic. The playful animal slides down snow-covered hills, glides over the ice and swims through the frigid water. Life is fun-filled and carefree, except for one thing: Pip can't understand why she is so little, and not like the emperor penguins that tower above her. Then Pip meets William the sperm whale, who is enormous--even though he, too, is just three years old. The two have a grand time playing, and Pip realizes that size doesn't make any difference. Sprinkled throughout Benson's informative text are the spontaneous, cheerful songs that Pip sings to herself, reminiscent of those any three-year-old might chant. At once realistic and humorous, the primarily blue-and-white-toned pictures add a great deal to this bright tale. Ages 3-7. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 1-- Pip, a three-year-old Adelie penguin, feels insignificant when compared to the much larger Emperor penguins with whom she shares the Antarctic landscape. As she plays in the water and on the snow and ice, she wonders about other animals that come in big and little sizes, like fish, but when she finds a new playmate just her age, a Sperm whale, Pip is no longer worried. And the next time she passes the Emperor penguins, "They're big, but not so big, she thinks, and she walks right on by." This little penguin's preoccupation with size is an on-target subject for young listeners who are also attempting to understand their places in the scheme of the larger universe. Benson's illustrations are realistic yet have intrinsic child appeal; because the polar landscape is naturally sparse, readers can focus on Pip and her antics in every picture. Even large areas of black, such as the penguins' backs and the gigantic whale, are softened through the judicious use of crosshatching. The book's gentle humor, the presentation of simple science concepts, and the reassuring conclusion earn it a place on library shelves. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.