Perfect Pals? Fluff and Billy by Nicola Killen

"I'm swimming!" said Fluff.
"I'm swimming!" said Billy.

I'm splashing!" said Fluff.
I'm splashing!" said Billy.

Fluff and Billy seem to be the perfect penguin pals. After all, they like to do all the same things, right?

Well, all this me too-ism is fine with the older Fluff--for a while. But soon he begins to weary of the constant echo and his dutiful doppelganger shadowing every move he makes. Finally Fluff vents his frustration and lets Billy have it with a face full of snow right in the beak!

I'M not talking to YOU!" said Billy.

It's a standoff, with the two young penguins turning their backs on each other and on their friendship.

Then Fluff spots a small tear in Billy's eyes and his anger begins to melt like the remains of the snowball at Billy's feet. What can he do to warm up their friendship again?

Nicola Killen's short and sweet tale of friendship's warm and cool moments is well-told in her Fluff and Billy (Sterling, 2012), and youngsters will intuit the premise that true friendship can weather a bit of cooling off, and will giggle along with Billy as Fluff finds a way to thaw the pals' pique.