flaviathebibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t remember having laughed this much at a children’s book! The humour used in I Am Actually a Penguin totally aligns with my sense of humour, and I enjoyed every single page. I wish there had been more pages, actually! I completely clicked with the book’s protagonist because I was the type of child who would dress up and want to pretend to be someone else for a while. I’m sure that if I had found a penguin suit when I was her age, I would have done the same thing as her (I mean, I pretended to be a spider once when I was little and filled a room with spiderwebs made out of yarn)!
The way that the little girl talks and interacts with her family is really funny. Her facial expressions also made the book hilarious, and I believe that the art style also worked really well with the tone and subject matter in this fun children’s book. Even now, while telling you about this book, I really want to pick it up again for a good laugh! I suppose, there is also a message in this book about being whatever you set your mind to, and I think that both children and adults can learn from that! I, therefore, recommend this book to readers of all ages (especially if you have a sense of humour like mine)!
The way that the little girl talks and interacts with her family is really funny. Her facial expressions also made the book hilarious, and I believe that the art style also worked really well with the tone and subject matter in this fun children’s book. Even now, while telling you about this book, I really want to pick it up again for a good laugh! I suppose, there is also a message in this book about being whatever you set your mind to, and I think that both children and adults can learn from that! I, therefore, recommend this book to readers of all ages (especially if you have a sense of humour like mine)!
mckenzierichardson's review against another edition
3.0
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
Very fun and silly book about a little girl who is actually a penguin.
I really liked the writing style. It is very simplistic and silly. It really feels like it is coming from the perspective of the little girl.
I also liked the gender role non-conformity represented in the book. The girl dresses like a princess sometimes as well as a pirate. The dad is the one who tells her the costume needs to be washed rather than the mom (and he's wearing rubber gloves suggesting he actually does some cleaning). Really nice representation instead of just falling back on gender role stereotypes.
The book does use the word "dumb" one time. This word can easily be changed when reading aloud for those who don't want their kids to pick up on it. I work with a kid who used the word "dumb" constantly after watching Coco so I know how easy it is for kids to pick up words you'd rather them not say. Can easily sub in "silly", "weird", "gross", or other less offensive words.
Overall, a nice, fun, imaginative read. Loved the ending.
Very fun and silly book about a little girl who is actually a penguin.
I really liked the writing style. It is very simplistic and silly. It really feels like it is coming from the perspective of the little girl.
I also liked the gender role non-conformity represented in the book. The girl dresses like a princess sometimes as well as a pirate. The dad is the one who tells her the costume needs to be washed rather than the mom (and he's wearing rubber gloves suggesting he actually does some cleaning). Really nice representation instead of just falling back on gender role stereotypes.
The book does use the word "dumb" one time. This word can easily be changed when reading aloud for those who don't want their kids to pick up on it. I work with a kid who used the word "dumb" constantly after watching Coco so I know how easy it is for kids to pick up words you'd rather them not say. Can easily sub in "silly", "weird", "gross", or other less offensive words.
Overall, a nice, fun, imaginative read. Loved the ending.
libraryjen's review against another edition
3.0
A silly story about a little girl who loves her penguin suit so much she decides that she really is a penguin and begins to act like one. A decent group read aloud on imagination or penguins with fun illustrations.
ellalouise99's review against another edition
2.0
I can imagine FS and year 1 children would find the book quite funny. The young child gets a penguin costume and never wants to take it off, pretending they are a penguin all the time until they decide to change into a crocodile. There isn’t really much of a message but the book would be okay to share as a read aloud story at the end of the day or after lunch.
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