Little Penguin's Tale by Audrey Wood

today’s children storybook summary is

Little Penguin’s Tale

By Audrey Wood

The takeaway

This storybook about a runaway penguin encourages children to stay together as a group and shows what could happen if one decides to take off on their own.

Storyline

Seven little penguins and their Grand Nanny waddle on a high hill in a cold Arctic region. They stop for a rest, and the little cubs gather around a towering elder with a staff in her hands to listen to a story from long ago. They are playful and happy, each carrying a basket full of fruits (that you won’t expect to find in such a remote place.) As the Nanny starts her tale about a little penguin that wanders off, one of her group members does exactly the same thing, leaving the safety of the pack to have a little adventure of their own. And as the story goes, so does the little penguin’s escapade.

First, the runaway cub meets a flock of dancing gooney birds. But instead of getting in big trouble, as everyone expects, the penguin joins the band, having fun. Soon, they run into the Walrus Polar Club, where they are invited. Inside, among animals from all over the world, the little penguin enjoys every bit of it, being “the wildest of them all.” But instead of getting hurt, as everyone knew it would happen, the cub is quite fine, except that he was very tired, so he went out for a nap, afraid of nothing. Now, we all know that when a penguin falls asleep by the dark sea, he gets eaten by a whale. In our case, that’s exactly what happened.

But wait, hold your tears. That’s just one possible ending, says Grand Nanny when the six tearful penguins fall down, sobbing loudly, their baskets dropping on the frozen Arctic ground. A new ending can be a happy one, says the Nanny.

She tells them that, as hard to believe as it may seem, the daring runaway penguin managed to escape from the mouth of the whale and jumped into a boat that sailed all the way back home. Only when he was safe, with his friends and his Nanny, did the little penguin notice that he was missing some of his tail feathers, which were nibbled by the whale.

When the story is over, the Grand Nanny gathers her group and gets going; the runaway cub with a few of his tail feathers missing hurrying to catch on.

Characters

Grand Nanny, a grown-up penguin with a knack for storytelling and a big staff, the penguins,

Illustration

Audrey Wood is also the illustrator of this book. She focuses the reader’s attention on the few important characters in the story. Her colors are bright and attractive, with a lot of white from the snow, a lot of blue sky, and orange from the gooney birds. It seems like her watercolor brushes on rough paper catch the important but few details of the Arctic landscape.

Recommended Age

3 to 7 years old

Reading Time

5 minutes

Things to Learn

Gooney birds—Gooney birds, or albatrosses, are very large birds that live by the sea and feed on fish and other marine life. They are known for their elaborate mating rituals, which include dances and songs. They live in colonies and can live up to 50 years. They are also famous for their clumsy and comical flight take-off and landing, which causes them to stay longer in the air and at high altitudes.

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