An absolute must for all those who love animals. Otto is the first penguin chick to be born that year and he has to teach all the other chicks to swim, to dive and so on, but of course he must learn how to do it first and all by himself because the adult penguins seem preoccupied with other things! Tomlinson’s simple, lighthearted and often humorous writing style are great for those who read a little as they’ll be encouraged to read all the more and become hooked on the reading bug.
Otto isn't an ordinary penguin - he is the first penguin chick to be born that year, which means that it is his job to look after all the other young penguins. But out in the snow and ice of Antarctica there is an awful lot to learn, and Otto has to discover for himself how to swim, dive and catch fish before he can teach anyone else. And how will he do that when all the grown-ups are too busy to help?
Jill Tomlinson never intended to be a writer. She trained as an opera singer, and then decided to have a family whilst her voice matured. But illness intervened, and she had to find another outlet for her energies. She started on a journalism course, and by the third lesson decided she wanted to write for children. So she did!
It did not come easily. Her first story, The Bus who went to Church, was rejected by sixteen publishers before it was accepted for a picture book. Several other picture books followed until she felt a need to stretch herself further. She wrote five short stories about a hen wanting to visit an aunt and her chicks, and Methuen thought that if she wrote another five stories on the same theme the book would fit well into their new ‘Read Aloud’ series.
