A Penguin Story

Starred review from January 1, 2009
PreS-Gr 2-Like the imaginative heroes of Portis's "Not a Box" (2007) and "Not a Stick" (2008, both HarperCollins), Edna yearns for something different. Though her fellow penguins are content to play and eat in their world of white snow, black night, and blue sea, she seeks something else. She finds ita giant, bright orange research station, inhabited by orange-coated researchers. When she takes the other penguins there, they are suitably impressed, and one of the researchers even gives her a colorful glove. As the others go back to their normal lives, Edna stands atop an iceberg, wearing the orange glove like a hat, wondering "What else could there be?" This gentle tribute to dreamers crackles with quiet humor, and the art's limited palette both parallels the plot and lends the book a classic feel. Portis's ability to convey emotion and character through the slightest change in Edna's beady eyes and flippers is extraordinary, and the interplay of the text and pictures nears perfection. A delightful story, delightfully told."Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2008
Preschool-G Edna the penguin knows three colorsthe black of night, the white in snow and ice, and the blue of the ocean that goes on forever. She knows there must be more, so Edna sets off on a quest to find it. She discovers a camp of Antarctic scientists that is a vision of bright orange (tents, plane, parkas, and so on). The story closes with Edna wearing a large glove left by the scientists as a headpiece and wondering, What else could there be? The double-page spread shows a small green boat approaching in the distance. Beautifully designed pages are filled with bold geometric shapes depicting the Antarctic landscapes and the few inhabitants. Uncluttered, stylized illustrations featuring a palate limited to the colors mentioned in the story perfectly catch the droll humor of the simple text. This is sure to provoke many chuckles. Pair with one of the many other titles about penguins, such as Jean-Luc Fromentals 365 Penguins (2006).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Visionary penguin Edna feels "there must be something else" besides her world's three colors: white ice, black night, and blue sea. Portis's simple story gains much from effective book design and clever illustration. Color-saturated pages reinforce the theme, emphasizing the monochromatic until orange arrives on the scene. An open layout allows for much engaging penguin activity and visual jokes.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2009
All the other penguins are happy playing and fishing (lunch is a top priority), but visionary Edna feels that "there must be something else" in life besides the three colors of her world: white ice, black night, and blue sea. She sets off in search of that something and finds it in the bright orange of a scientific expedition's tents, clothing, and airplane ("WOW!"). Edna leads an expedition of her own, bringing the other penguins to see her discovery and share in her amazement. When the scientists leave, they bestow an orange rubber glove on the penguins, who cherish it as something that's "not white...not black...not blue...and definitely not lunch." Our last view of Edna is a double-page spread on which she stands on black-outlined white ice gazing out to blue sea, orange glove worn as a coxcomb-like hat, wondering, "What else could there be?" -- as a green ship just breaches page's edge. Portis's simple story gains much from an effective book design and clever illustration. Pages saturated with color reinforce the theme, emphasizing the monochromatic until orange arrives on the scene. The open layout allows for much engaging penguin activity (not to mention visual jokes -- Edna is always looking in the wrong direction when harbingers of change appear). Portis's optimistic message of the promise the world offers will resonate with youngsters on the cusp of their own life discoveries.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)