Book 157 of 350 ~ 2025

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One star because I love pengys.

The rest because this is such an adorable book and you will feel your lower lip quiver and say aww so many times you will lose count.

I received a complimentary copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The heart of the books message about community support is valid, but this title is deceiving to its target audience. Little kids from K-2 will be drawn to this title based on the popularity of penguins and the “cuteness”, but “the beast” added onto the young penguin succumbing to freeze most of the tale, takes the narrative in an unnecessary direction for the theme.

I'm a sucker for penguin stories. Is it because I'm in Arizona? Probably. Picture books that illustrate ice and colder climates always pull me in, but I especially liked Saving Piku because of the community. There are many teachable moments in here you can focus on: how moms go fishing while the dads look after the chicks and, of course, why penguins huddle together when it gets cold out. Most importantly, the difference community can make (especially in dire situations). We could talk about different ways community and having people around you can help in various situations. There are many ways you could incorporate the ideas inside of this book into the classroom.

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher Spotlight for an advanced reading copy of Saving Piku in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be released on August 5, 2025.

I absolutely loved this book. A great winter read that teaches the mannerisms penguins in a fiction way. The beast is a winter storm, and little readers will learn how the penguin dads work together to keep their little ones safe in a storm. A great book to start a winter animals unit, and to start a writing unit on winter animals. This librarian wants it for her library!

An adorable story of love and community is what you will find in Saving Piku by James Sellick.

A normal day on Penguin Beach turns frightening when the rumble and grumble of the Beast interrupts their day. Some birds, seals, and walruses run for cover. The penguin dads try to protect their little ones, and when the Beast threatens Piku, the Penguin dads come to the rescue.

With Saving Piku, Sellick has created a beautifully told story with a wonderful message. Stunning artwork from Craig Shuttlewood captures the beauty of the landscape and the emotions of the characters. It also perfectly complements Sellick’s heartwarming tale. Explore feelings with Sellick’s new series.

This book was absolutely adorable! The illustrations were super charming, and the story was meaningful and beautifully told. The only small hiccup was that all the penguins had names, but it was sometimes hard to tell who was who in the pictures. Still, the message came through clearly and with a lot of heart.

This was a sweet book about the power of community and supporting one another through the survival patterns of penguins. It is beautifully illustrated.

The story is adorable but there are a few random characters thrown in unnecessarily as if we know them already… perhaps I missed that this is part of a series, so it may be that they are!

We enjoyed the story overall. Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher Spotlight for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a sweet story about kindness! I would love to read this book at the end of the school year with my kiddos for father’s day! This book really gets the creativity flowing!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is a wonderful representation of how community can help in times of need. The illustrations perfectly captured each emotion that all the characters were feeling throughout the story.

I feel like this story is different from other stories that talk about emotions such as fear because the character that we see truly display the fear is Pika’s father Pal. This book shows that even grown-ups feel scared and ask for help.

Saving Piku by James Sellick, with illustrations by Craig Shuttlewood, is a heartfelt and engaging picture book that gently explores themes of fear, community, and parental care when a mysterious "Beast" disrupts a singing session between Pal and Piku. The warm, expressive illustrations perfectly compliment the comforting narrative, showing how love and teamwork can protect and reassure—it's a story I truly loved, both for its message and its beautiful artwork.

A Heartwarming Tale That Had My Daughter Glued From Start to Finish!

This book was absolutely adorable! The illustrations were charming, and the journey to the final lesson was both meaningful and beautifully told. My daughter curled up beside me while I read it aloud, and she stayed engaged the entire time—which is a big win in our house!
The only small point of confusion was that all the penguins had names, but it wasn't always clear which one was which in the illustrations. That aside, the message was clear, heartfelt, and delivered in such a lovely way.
Five stars—straight from my daughter! :) Thank you for creating something so special.

This book is so cute!! Jumping right into this review, I want to start off by saying that this book had a great plot structure. There were perfect amounts of suspense, excitement, background, and resolution, which made this book perfectly well-rounded. Additionally, the central idea of this book was awesome, and so adorable! The illustrator did an outstanding job of bringing each and every character to life, and also conveying the emotion of the story to the reader. Lastly, the ending was so heartwarming, and it leaves the reader feeling happy and inspired, in a way. The way all of the penguins came together as a community was beautiful. I give so much praise to the creators of this book, and I think that every kid should read this book, ASAP!

First I would love to give a huge thank you to @netgalley and @NewFrontierPublishing for an e-arc of “Saving Piku”.
This was definitely an adorable story. As an avid animal lover and someone who always tries to engage her students with lessons in sel, this both is the perfect combination of adorable as it involves penguins as it is reflective (dealing with emotions).
Saving piku is a story perfect for those who teach sel or for any young student to learn about all the emotions we can experience. While I may not need to teach my third graders using this story I will gladly purchase the story for those who teach kindergarten and younger.
#SavingPiku #NetGalley