Little Penguin’s New Friend by Tadgh Bentley
Published by Balzer + Bray on October 1st 2019
ISBN: 0062699954
Pages: 32
Goodreads

Little Penguin’s New Friend is an easy reader that tackles preconceived notions and things not being as one might expect them to be. Penguin and his friends are excited for polar bear’s first visit to the Antarctic, but they all have ideas about what polar bears do and don’t do. When she finally arrives, it turns out that polar bears do, in fact, tell really bad jokes as suspected by Franklin, the killer whale. The text in this book is simple and appropriate for beginning readers, but the content misses the mark a bit. The bad jokes and puns will mostly be lost on younger readers (I had to re-read one several times to get it). The illustrations are colorful, engaging,  and follow the story well. This book is best used for one-on-one sharing or perhaps with a smaller group where you know they may actually understand the jokes. A secondary purchase where easy readers circulate well and need expansion.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta