Out of a Hat: Baby Penguins Everywhere! by Melissa Guiion

ONCE THERE WAS A PENGUIN.

SHE WAS VERY LONELY.

ONE DAY, SHE SAW SOMETHING FLOATING IN THE WATER...

A HAT.

When that lone penguin on a single ice floe picks up that floating top hat, little does she know that her lonely days are over. An irresistible baby penguin pops out and puts its tiny arms up for her to hold it, and the penguin’s (and the reader’s) heart melts. But then things begin to change fast....

One after another, baby penguins continue to emerge from that magic hat, and soon the penguin is surrounded by a flock of babies, all romping and reaching out to her. She clearly loves playing with them, as they skip with a rope of multicolored ribbons and juggle and toss their little colored balls back and forth. It’s great for the new adoptive mommy, but

SHE WAS VERY, VERY BUSY.

And getting tired, too! She realizes that she is beginning to dream of a few quiet moments to herself, maybe on her own ice floe for a change!

Instant motherhood (which is the way it always seems, actually) can be a matter of adaptation and conditioning, even when the babies are as unbelievably appealing as Melissa Guion’s in her timely snow-filled tale, Baby Penguins Everywhere! (Philomel Books, 2012). Guion’s debut picture book has enormous appeal, with its simple but telling text and elegantly simply and engagingly lovable subjects. A perfect snowy winter tale for January.