Little Penguin

The children sat stroking the pages after we looked at this book together. Patrick Benson, so compelling as illustrator in the 'Hob' books, weaves magic again as he writes and illustrates a story about Pip, an Adelie penguin, learning that her small size doesn't mean she's any less important in the scheme of things. Exquisite illustrations, appealing layout, deceptively clever text which leads one almost imperceptibly from a tight very careful use of language into a flowing musical line - put together, these elements produce an unforgettable book that is surely a modern classic.