Well Done, Mummy Penguin

Mummy Penguin is going away, and Little Penguin is a bit concerned: ‘…she’ll be back, won’t she? She sure will, says Daddy Penguin.’  She is getting dinner for them, Daddy explains,  As  they watch together, they see her moving swiftly through the sea, swimming with the other mums, and catching a big fat fish for Little Penguin’s dinner.  Then she must get home again.  It’s quite a journey up a steep cliff in the slippery snow and ice, with no problems, but then there are the seals – big and dangerous – and when Mummy wakes one up, she falls all the way down the cliff again into the water.  Oh dear. But Mummy is a plucky sort and back she comes, leaping over the waiting seals this time, and soon she is home to the great relief of her family. The themes of concern about if and when Mum will come back and worries about what might befall her are repeated in various ways, and the strength that she has in always returning is a positive vibe for women’s strength of character when faced with a challenging task.  Lots of white snowy background, blue sea, and large pictures of the penguins, drawn with straight lines and basic colours of black, grey and orange, make for dramatic illustrations, and the large, black print adds to the drama.  There is an information aspect to the book too, as we learn something about penguins.   There is fear, but it is not emphasised in any way, and the whole is reassuring.