Polly Dunbar has been selected as one of The Big Picture campaign's Best New Illustrators in 2008 and was also the winner of the 0-5 Nestle Silver Award 2007. We loved the emotional interaction between Ben and Penguin in this delightful story. Just you wait until you see a child enjoy it as much as we did. Polly Dunbar’s illustrations – a mix of mediums including collage, watercolour and pastel, are a delight.
Ben rips open his present and finds a penguin inside. Ben tickles Penguin, he pulls his funniest face, he puts on a happy hat, and sings a silly song. "Can't you talk?" says Ben. Penguin says nothing. It isn't until a passing lion intervenes that Penguin finally speaks... and when he does, Ben discovers something that was really worth the wait.
'Hilarious and really rather cute. It asserts penguins as being one of the most awesome animals on the planet. Not a book to be missed!' - Bookseller
Author
About Polly Dunbar
Polly Dunbar is a major picture-book talent. She is the author-illustrator of a series called Tilly and Friends which has been made into an animated series, to air on CBeebies from September 2012. She's also the author/illustrator of Penguin,Arthur's Dream Boat, Dog Blue and Flyaway Katie, and the illustrator of Shoe Baby, written by her mother, Joyce Dunbar. Her titles have won numerous awards including the Book Trust Early Year's Award 2007, the Nestle Silver Children's Book Prize 2007, the Practical Pre-School Award 2007 and the Red House Children's Book of the Year Award 2008, and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Polly currently lives and works in Dublin.