Penguins Don't Wear Sweaters!

October 15, 2017
A cautionary tale for young readers about the aftermath of oil spills near penguin habitats. Penguins frolic and feed in the ocean, showing off their black-and-white bodies and orange feet and beaks. They are busy doing what it is that penguins do: "huddling, cuddling, waddling" and "diving deep." Then a tanker passes by and leaves "oil pools in inky puddles." The penguins are in serious trouble until Big Boots with camera in hand appears. A campaign to knit sweaters for the penguins is the result until glove-clad hands show up to remove the sweaters and finally wash off the oil with toothbrushes. Tamura's well-told tale of ecological disaster and proper penguin rescue is told in rhythmic but not rhyming couplets. Her author's note references an actual event on Phillip Island, Australia (where visitors can view a penguin walk), and explains how knitted garments are actually harmful for penguins. Rieley's digitized pencil, ink, and handmade textures are appealing. His palette of blues and whites for the ocean, sky, and ice provides a perfect setting, both aerial and eye-level, for the penguins. The knitted sweaters, with close-ups of needles in action, are colorful if inappropriate for the recipients. Note that one of them features the publisher's penguin logo. It's almost too cute to get the message across that people should knit sweaters for toy animals--not for the real critters. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)

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December 1, 2017

K-Gr 2-A colony of penguins happily do their "penguin things"-swimming, diving, "huddling, cuddling, waddling" until a passing tanker boat spills oil. "Penguins can't live in this! It coats round bodies with goo. It makes sleek feathers stay sticky and wet." "Big Boots" come to assess the situation and determine that the penguins need their help. A newspaper article sends out a call for knit sweaters to help keep creatures warm. Though sweaters pour in and temporarily help, a better solution turns out to wash away the oil and goo and release them back into the wild when the coast is clear. An author's note at the back explains the true events behind this story and reinforces the message that while penguins look cute in sweaters, the garments do more harm than good at rehabilitation and are better suited for toys. Rieley's stylized mixed media illustrations perfectly portray the penguins' natural cuteness while faithfully presenting their habitat through a variety of perspectives on the spreads; his bold, saturated colors and blocky style are a perfect match to Tamura's simple but eloquent prose. VERDICT A charming story about an important ecological topic, even if its warning about the dangers of sweaters is somewhat muted by the lighthearted style of the book. Best shared in a classroom setting with a follow-up discussion.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2017
Preschool-G Don't assume from the title that this is another whimsical cautionary tale like the classic Judi and Ron Barrett's Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing (1970). It is a glimpse of penguin activity, threats against their livelihood, a warning against misguided rescue attempts, and a suggestion to look beyond the headlines and news feeds. Several pages show penguins in their natural habitat, but when a ship leaks oil, they are coated in black goo. Sweaters are provided to protect the penguins, and they eventually return to the sea. An afterword explains that this is based on an actual event and that the sweaters proved harmful to some penguins and had to be discarded. A slight, engaging story, it is told through brief, clipped sentences that move the narrative. The illustrations are simple, reflecting the penguins' barren habitat, yet they contain a good amount of energy and interesting perspectives. The black-and-white birds are adorable, dignified, and look especially engaging in the knitted sweaters they aren't supposed to be wearing! Adults, prepare to answer many questions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2018
After an oil spill, well-meaning offstage "Big Boots" try outfitting penguins with sweaters to protect them. The be-sweatered penguins look adorable in Rieley's crisp-lined, ice-cool-colored mixed-media art. But as Tamura's author's note explains, sweaters are almost as bad for penguins as spilled oil. The last pages of this gentle cautionary tale hint at this point: beware the easy fix, even when the fix is unbelievably cute.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)