Of course I was going to read this book. I mean, penguins. Besides, who doesn't love a story of an unlikely friendship. It is interesting to me that this is a relationship we still don't understand. The illustrations are beautifully rendered as well.

This isn’t precisely a story about animal conservation, so much as what a single person can do to save a little bit of nature. Seu João had no real animal care training when he encountered a Magellanic penguin whose feathers were ruined by an oil spill. He simply did the best he could, giving the penguin food and baths in dish soap, and managed to keep Dindim alive long enough for a return to the ocean.

What happened after was quite special: for seven years, after spending 4 months wild at sea, Dindim would return to Brazil and Seu João, and spend 8 months with his friend. And then, one day Dindim did not return, hopefully to live a completely wild life, raising chicks and continuing his species.

The book ends with excellent information on the Magellanic penguin species, as well as conservation practices in which kids and their families can take part. I’d have liked to see a little note about the importance of leaving wildlife rehabilitation to the experts, however. Seu João managed something amazing, but the kids reading this book need to be reminded to seek out adult help when they find injured animals.

Artist Alarcão has created phenomenally detailed illustrations, utilizing watercolors, color pencils, and gouache. Their rendering of Seu João is especially impressive, with so many wrinkles, gray hairs, and even hair on his arms. Backgrounds are always fully-fleshed, with plants, sand, water, and people. Not ever page is a full-color illustration, but even the few pages with whitespace have had a lot of time dedicated to them. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the whitespace was a publisher decision, and somewhere out there, full-color versions of these art pieces are waiting to be seen.

Also, Dindim is an absolute delight. There’s just a tiny bit of the cartoonish to a few of his images, which is adorable.

My kid loved this one, and it came at just the right time, after we saw some Magellanic penguins at the zoo! Thanks to the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

This is a wonderful, true story about a man who rescued an oil laden penguin. This penguin became São Paulo’s friend for the next seven years. This true story is written to help people understand more about penguins but also about the damage caused by humans to the penguin population. The story is sweet and well done.

A heartwarming true story that shows how connected humans are to the natural world and how easy it is to make a meaningful impact. This will inform and empower young readers to stand up and take action against to protect wildlife.

The Penguin of Ilha Grande by Shannon Earle , illustrated by Renato Alarcao (Charlesbridge, 2023), tells the true story of a friendship between an older man and a penguin. The subtitle is “From Animal Rescue to Extraordinary Friendship,” and the story is entertaining to children as well as educational about the difficult changing climate conditions for animals like the Magellanic penguins.

On the island of Ilha Grande in Brazil, Seu Joao discovered a stranded Magellanic penguin, slick with oil. He carefully cleaned each feather with dish soap, and, after a recuperation time, he set the penguin, nicknamed Dindim, free in the ocean. Except Dindim kept returning! He ate from only Seu Joao’s hand and enjoyed indoor showers, and despite Seu Joao’s attempts at rehabilitation, he stayed. After four months, Dindim did swim away, only to return the next year and stay four months again! This repeated for seven years, until in 2018 Dindim did not return, possibly to begin a family of his own elsewhere.

My 7-year-old daughter wanted me to tell you that she really liked this book and that she liked the pictures (pencil illustrations). We found a map so she could see where Ilha Grande in Brazil is, and we found the regular grounds in which Magellanic penguins are found. The book has end matter to discuss more about Dindim’s possible fate, Magellanic penguins, and threats and conservations efforts for penguins. (My daughter wasn’t interested in the end matter, but I summarized for her.)

I was not as enthralled by the book as she was, and I’m not quite sure why. The story was straight forward and interesting, but I think it missed a chance to emphasize the cute-ness of the whole situation. Similarly, the cover doesn’t centralize of the penguin, but rather not Seu Joao. It’s true that he was the hero, but the star of the show here should be the friendly penguin.

I received a digital review copy of this book.

What a remarkable story! An oil covered penguin is rescued by Seu Joa~o and Dimdim the penguin stays far longer than anyone expects. This true story by Shannon Earle includes beautiful pictures by Renato Alarcao - readers will certainly fall in love! This book also includes excellent back matter about where Dimdim is now, Magellanic Penguins, Threats & Conservation as well as how the author came to write this story. Thank you to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for providing this eARC to review. Look for this book beginning January 17, 2023.

The Penguin tells a touching story of a penguin that became attached to a local man who helped save his life. The illustrations capture the color and feel of the oceanside home, as well as the swimming adventures of the pair. The story has balanced the right amount of text and length for our K-2 readers, while also providing additional information and resources in the back of the book.

I would recommend this book to elementary school libraries and libraries that serve young children. They are surely to be as captivated by the story of little Dindim as I was!

This sweet book told the true story of a man who rescues a Magellan penguin from an oil spill. Illustrations are nice as well.

This book tells the story of a Brazillian man who rescues a penguin who is covered in oil. He nurses the penguin back to health and helps prepare him to return to his natural habitat. The penguin, Dindim, chose to stay with the man for a while, but eventually decided to go back out into the ocean. From that day forward he would come and go but always came back to visit the man who rescued him. This story shares the importance of wild animals being wild, yet also shows the ability for animals to show care and loyalty to humans. I could definitely see myself using this story as part of a lesson on protecting endangered animals and the damage oil spills can have on habitats and animals. I think my grade 3 students would really enjoy this book and I would definitely consider purchasing a copy for my classroom library. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 5-9 range. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Dindim has a wonderful story and a fantastic life. I enjoyed this book and the information after the story.

This a s great tool to teach children about rescued wild animals and why they belong in their Natural habitat. Dindim was able to return to the sea when he wanted, but was always welcomed back home.

Our youngest loves penguins and this is a cute book to read to her. I adore the relationship Seu Joao developed with the penguin. This story shows children how we can care for animals too.

The end of the book includes pronunciations, what happened to DinDim and information on his penguin species.