Jonty Gentoo: The Adventures of a Penguin

PreS-Gr 1–Jonty Gentoo, the gentoo penguin, loves living at the zoo with his aunts, but the stories they share have him dreaming of meeting other penguins at the South Pole. One night, Jonty Gentoo takes a brave step into the unknown to find his way to his kin on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, Jonty Gentoo’s travels take him too far in the opposite direction, and he must rely on newfound friends to help reorient him. This clever, rhyming picture book imagines what life would be like for a penguin who is determined enough to travel the length of the globe to meet his relations. The text itself is beautifully designed to be read aloud, using rhyming lines and a predictable meter. This gives the book a singsong quality that will also invite young children to fill in the ends of sentences and phrases when appropriate. Alongside the text, the illustrations are childlike and accessible, providing plenty of detail for children to examine more closely. Originally published in the UK, the book incorporates a handful of words that may be less familiar to a U.S. audience, but the narrative has a wide reach. At the end, a brief note provides some nonfiction context for Jonty Gentoo’s fictional tale.