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kimfielding's review against another edition
2.0
I read this aloud to my children because it was recommended as a fun read aloud for kids. Some of the language was out dated and I had to stop to explain some things to my children, like what an icebox was. I thought the plot was only okay, but my children enjoyed the silly parts. We finished it in a few days.
maggiecarr's review against another edition
3.0
I rather enjoyed this book... more from seeing it through my son's (6) eyes than for the content itself. My adult perspective stole the magic from it and instead had me critiquing a marriage where the wife is fine with the husband leaving spontaneously for a couple of years, and worried about providing for the family financially in other portions. I have no memory of reading this book as a child but based on my kiddos experience bet I would have enjoyed it more in my younger days.
kayscr33klibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
I think students will enjoy the humor of this book and not be bothered by the lack of reality. What child wouldn't want to convert their basement into something like the south pole with penguins who slide down the stairs. I perhaps shouldn't have read it after more realistic fiction. It seemed childish in comparison but I can easily recommend it to students, who it was written for.
jleverentz's review against another edition
My animal-loving seven year old adored this book as a read-aloud
dawngarrett's review against another edition
4.0
We own this. Family Read-aloud.
We enjoyed this lighthearted tale of a man and his penguins. It was a nice, easy readaloud following The Jungle Book.
The end was a bit abrupt, but the antics of the penguins and the family were funny and my children asked to continue with a second chapter several nights, with the shorter chapters, this was easy to comply with.
Really, this is a gentle, fun story. You could leave it alone or easily discuss ideas such as stewardship or doing what is best for others despite what may be best for you. The four stars is for our enjoyment of the story and the ranking is definitely based on the children's perceptions as much as mine.
Up next, Bambi.
We enjoyed this lighthearted tale of a man and his penguins. It was a nice, easy readaloud following The Jungle Book.
The end was a bit abrupt, but the antics of the penguins and the family were funny and my children asked to continue with a second chapter several nights, with the shorter chapters, this was easy to comply with.
Really, this is a gentle, fun story. You could leave it alone or easily discuss ideas such as stewardship or doing what is best for others despite what may be best for you. The four stars is for our enjoyment of the story and the ranking is definitely based on the children's perceptions as much as mine.
Up next, Bambi.
mossflower_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
I finished reading this out loud to 4 year old today. He told me that he loved it because he thought that the penguins did lots of funny things. I found the book well written and a decent story-line, but it has certainly aged. The relationships between the family members reflect older times (I hope my kids would care if I randomly decided to leave on a ship for a couple years!). The pace is a little sluggish, so my preschooler wasn't as excited to sit down to read it as he has been with other books...but he still enjoyed it over-all. I tried not to be terribly annoyed that no one seemed to know what a penguin was, that it was made out to be acceptable to take a wild animal home as a pet, or that they were going to introduce a new species to an area where they should not reside...it's just a story after all. However, the conservation biologist in me couldn't resist the occasional eye-roll. The penguins were lovable, and it was fun imagining what it would be like to have a family of penguins. It has inspired my son to waddle around and pretend to be a penguin.
kentexmom's review against another edition
3.0
My 4 and 5 year old sons enjoyed this simple, sweet story. It was easy reading aloud for me, and the penguins' antics were fun for them.
saraannboring's review against another edition
5.0
The kids and I listened to the audio book in the car.
We LOVED it!
We LOVED it!