cover image Penguin’s Christmas Wish

Penguin’s Christmas Wish

Salina Yoon. Bloomsbury, $14.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-68119-155-3

Spending time with friends and loved ones is a big part of what makes the holidays special; when one of those friends is a pine tree, so much the better. This fifth Penguin picture book sees the return of Pinecone, whom Penguin befriended in his first picture book in 2012. Now fully grown, Pinecone becomes the perfect Christmas tree for Penguin, Pumpkin, and their fellow penguins, but after a storm blows away the ornaments on the tree and the presents underneath it, Penguin uses a bit of ingenuity to create replacement gifts (sticks, it turns out, make great knitting needles, drumsticks, and fishing rods). With their rough black outlines and bright colors, Yoon’s digital graphics again create a cozy polar environment for the story, which emphasizes creativity, togetherness, and generosity as key elements for a memorable Christmas. Up to age 3. [em]Agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.) [/em]