Too Many Penguins!

365 Penguins
by Jean-Luc Fromental; illus by Joelle Jolivet
48 pages; ages 1-8
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006

Once again, a weather-inspired story. I know we're half-way to spring, but there's still plenty of ice and snow and windy cold in the days ahead... weather to make us feel like penguins.

This is a math book disguised as a silly story. On New Year's Day, a delivery man delivers a package. Inside: one penguin. There's no return address, no letter explaining who sent the package - only a note saying: "I'm number 1. Feed me when I'm hungry." Puzzling, but having a penguin in the house might be entertaining.

The next day the delivery man returns - with another package. Inside, another penguin. Day three, another penguin. By the end of January there were thirty-one penguins in the house. By the end of February the family is arguing about the best way to organize the penguins. Eventually the mystery is solved when Uncle Victor shows up and takes the penguins. Life returns to normal for a few hours until - ding-dong! The delivery man comes to the door with a large box.

This is an oversized book which, fully opened, is almost as tall as a small penguin. It's full of math problems (how quickly can you go broke buying fish for penguins) and raises questions about population. Mostly, it's just plain fun.

Review copy provided by library.