English Cymraeg

Well Done, Mummy Penguin

by Chris Haughton

Interest age: 4 to 5
Reading age: 7+

Published by Walker Books, 2022

  • Funny
  • Picture books

About this book

It’s dinner time in the Antarctic and Mummy Penguin sets off to search for fish. Little Penguin and Daddy Penguin watch on anxiously as Mummy braves the icy waters to bring back their food. Mummy swims at speed to catch the fish, leaps back onto the icy shore and climbs a slippery slope. With each hurdle, Little Penguin cheers with pride. Well done, Mummy Penguin!

But there’s one last hurdle that Mummy must conquer before she can reach her family. A group of big, sleeping seals is all that lies between her and family. Mummy will need to use her skills and – of course - be very, very quiet…

Chris Haughton’s distinctive graphic illustrations and bold blue colour palette bring lots of humour and expression to this suspenseful story. Children can follow the story easily even without the text, although the use of text repetition is brilliant as it adds to the anticipation. Seeing Mummy’s adventure from Little Penguin’s point of view also brings us much closer to the action and will likely have little readers cheering on Mummy Penguin too!

This is an exciting picture book which celebrates the strength and determination of mothers, as well as the fascinating world of penguin parenting.

About the author

Chris Haughton is an Irish illustrator living in London. He illustrates regularly for the Guardian and other publications. He has worked for several large national and international advertising campaigns, and created murals in London, Dublin and Tokyo. He was listed in Time magazine's 'DESIGN 100' for the work he has been doing for Fair Trade clothing company People Tree. A Bit Lost (Walker Books) is his debut picture book.

He received a Best New Illustrators Award in 2011.

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