Ethel the penguin by Ursula Dubosarsky and Christopher Nielsen
An exuberant read aloud story of excitable Ethel, the class penguin will titillate fancies in every classroom. She is not allowed to sit next to the other students as her lawless behaviour will distract them from their work.
But Ethel is her best friend, hatched in the south but now living next door in an iceberg semi-detached.
The thought processes of all readers will be ignited as they think of all the fun that can be had with a friend living in an iceberg next door, going to school with you.
Four lined rhyming stanzas are on each page, carrying the tale along, lovely words highlighted in larger font and different colours, making the whole task easily accomplished by those new to reading. And of course laughing at the ingenious thymes, and predicting the rhyming words will also initiate lots of fun.
But what happens when Ethel decides to run away from home? And even worse, to find a Ferris Wheel. The family and Ethel’s parents trace her down to the local amusement park with a Ferris Wheel, and there she is, in her own little cab near the top of the Ferris Wheel. Ethel’s dad falls to the ground in a faint, while Ethel’s mum is overcome by tears.
Ethel is overcome by guilt, how could she be so bad? she asks. She decides to fly down to comfort her parents and gets her wings ready to fly, but as she jumps off the Ferris Wheel she remembers that penguins do not fly. Whoops. Smashing to the ground, her parents rush to her side as she promises not to be so silly again. But the reader knows that Ethel will not be down for long.
A wonderful story to read again and again, Ethel’s behaviour will remind readers that no matter what they do, parents will support them, but they must be sensible of the results of lawless behaviour.
Lots of laugh out loud humour, kids will love reading this book over and over, laughing at Ethel’s antics, and taken in with the hilarious rhymes that round of each stanza.
The illustrations are wonderful, lots of life, movement and colour, with Ethel’s eyes and eyebrows giving the nod to how she sees herself. The images of the families next door to each other will create mirth, as will the circus detail given in the last few pages. The endpapers show Ethel communing with a handful of seagulls, latching on to her and teaching her how to fly. Another Ethel book in the offing perhaps.
Themes: Friendship, Penguins, Families, Verse, Disobedience.
Fran Knight