I immediately found the concept difficult to believe and silly... until I read that it was a true story. Life truly is stranger than fiction. The style of the art is simple, yet elegant. The prose's rhyme scheme works very well, which can often feel forced or hokey. I will be reading this with my daughter.

5 Glowing Stars! For presentation and for story and for verse, all!

This should be a bestseller for young children! It should be in every doctor's waiting room, every childcare center, every preschool, every Sunday school, and as many homes as possible.

This book shows what can happen when we simply notice nature and her needs, and pay attention to what our small action can do to save, to preserve, to right what has been done wrong.

This is the true story of a man who discovers an oil-soaked penguin and cleans the penguin, nurtures it, and does not contain it. I'd heard this story a while back and didn't realize it had been made into children's book form. I am so glad it was! It's a joyful delight, a ray of hope in a world marred by man's actions! This book will bring a smile to the face of everyone but the most hardened.

The art is perfect, the verse a song of hope.

Buy this book to gift, or to have on hand to gift. Buy a few and give them away to local childcare providers, to preschools, to Kindergarten classrooms.

If every person behaves as this kind man behaved, the world will stand a chance.

This book was charming and easily incorporated a lot of facts into its cute story. It is a fun read aloud, but could easily be used in science units on penguins, conservation, or Earth Day.

The author of this book for people fresh at school would love a penguin to visit. Highly unlikely, given she lives in Switzerland – but even people living in a retirement cottage on the Brazilian coast should not expect to find a penguin all oiled up and forlorn on their beach. And they certainly shouldn't expect the penguin to then come back and stay for eight months of every year. But that's what happened, and this book – with sparse rhyming couplets telling of the friendship between man and penguin in a pleasantly brief way – is tribute to that true story. You also get a full page – which is longer than the whole poem – about the damage oil does to wildlife, and about the penguin at the heart of this piece. Three and a half stars.

The Old Man and the Penguin by Julie Abery is the beautiful true story of an unlikely friendship. I was anxious to read this book as I vividly remember seeing this incredible story on the news but, even more importantly, I desperately needed a feel good read, and this one certainly delivered. The bond that develops between a man, Joao, and an oil-soaked penguin named Dindum is one that will stay with you. Told in rhyming verse, and with stunningly colourful illustrations, this one will surely appeal to even the youngest of readers. I appreciated that Ms Abery uses this story not only to charm, but to seize on a teachable moment about stewardship, and the interconnectedness that exists between species. Recommended. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is such a heartwarming story about the friendship between an old man and a penguin! The illustrations are really nice and suit the story very much. I love how this story is written like a poem! Perfect to introduce children to rhymes and wordplay!

This story was soft and sweet and tender and I loved the way it rhymes. João and Dimdim’s relationship was beautifully illustrated and the tale was something incredibly rememberable.

I am thoroughly impressed with the publishers and the team, whoever is involved, in bringing out such a great collection of children's picture books!

I am so glad I came across this one at #NetGalley and I am so happy I got to read this one!

Yes, I have heard this story a few times from some other social media platforms about the story that is being illustrated here.

This picture book does an amazing job in depicting the same. I enjoyed the rhyme, I love the illustrations, I find the art sequence and the colours used well fit.

Looking out for more such books!

*It's still hard to believe it's a real story 😍
*Do check out for the author's note towards the end of the book.

A charming story of friendship despite time and distance.

The true story aspect of this story, along with the back matter, makes this story really shine. It would be particularly helpful for children as they experience the different seasons of friendship. The illustrations bring the setting to life, and hint at a friendship beyond what we learn about in the text. While the rhyming doesn't necessarily add to the prose, it doesn't particularly detract.

Overall, a lovely picture book with a strong theme of true friendship.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.