Ein charmantes Kinderbuch, das mit Witz und Humor, aber auch mit einer Prise Spannung den Leser in seinen Bann zieht. Ich habe das Lesen sehr genossen und sogar das Buch in den Bestand unserer Kinderabteilung unserer Bibliothek aufgenommen.

I love a good penguin story! My son knows how much I love penguins, and we definitely enjoy this one. It's very helpful when he's feeling nervous about something.

This was a really good book to read to my niece and nephews. They loved the illustrations and adored Posy and Percy. I also enjoyed the story as I love penguins.

I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Posy is a slight ”scaredy cat” but when her best friend doesn't come back from his adventure she has to find him. This cute book shows kids that no matter how scary something is sometimes you have to think of others no matter what. With colorful illustrations that help your child image the fun and brave moments, this book should be a true favorite. I can't wait to get a physical copy for my child's collection.

A cute children’s book about bravery and what it is and what it isn’t. Bravery doesn’t always mean doing stunts and not being scared. It’s about putting yourself on the line for someone else, even though you don’t know how it’s going to turn out. A quick and fun cute read.

Received via Netgalley and reviewed of my own accord.

We love penquin stories and this one was another one we really enjoyed. It is an adorable story about a not-so-brave penguin. We enjoyed getting to know him and learning about his life. We fell in love with him. It is a cute story with sweet illustrations. Sweet character and story we fully enjoyed. Wonderful story we recommend.

Super cute title. I really enjoyed the artwork and the message. Would recommend for young readers. i purchased this book for my 2 young sons and they read it quite often!

A cute story with nice illustrations about a penguin who thought it wasn't brave. Until one day when it does something very brave.

Percy the penguin isn’t scared of anything. He’ll slide down slopes on his belly, and he’ll jump from great heights and splash into the water. Posy, on the other hand, is scared of many things: snowstorms, heights, loud noises, the dark.

When a huge iceberg floats near their island, Percy goes to explore, but Posy stays back. When Percy doesn’t return, Posy springs into action. Even though Posy is scared, she goes to save her friend.

The Not-So-Brave Penguin has a message that kids can relate to. Being brave doesn’t mean not being scared. Being brave means acting even when you are scared.

Storytime: The Not-So-Brave Penguin

by Steve Smallman

Join Percy penguin and Posy penguin doing what Antarctic penguins do—and bring along some kids for a fun time together. Storytime: The Not-So-Brave Penguin is an adorable picture book written and illustrated by Steve Smallman. It tells the tale of the adventurous daredevil Percy and his timid friend Posy. When Percy’s penchant for rollicking fun takes him over the edge, Posy finds the courage to overcome her biggest fear, the dark, to rescue him.

Children can identify readily with both characters and will enjoy talking about the plot, characters, emotions, and setting. The illustrations are outstanding and such that a non-reader could retell the story. The author follows up with suggestions for discussion and activities to enhance comprehension with charts and art activities.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Quarto Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Children’s Fiction

Notes: Age Range: 4-8 years
Grade Level: Preschool-2

Publication: November 15, 2018—Quarto Publishing

Memorable Lines:

Percy penguin wasn’t scared of anything.
He loved WHIZZING down snowy slopes on his tummy.

Posy penguin was not so brave.
She shuffled down slopes on her bottom instead.

4★
“Percy thought it looked amazing!
Posy thought it looked scary.”

An iceberg would be both to me! This is a little picture book for little kids about little penguins in a big, unique, beautiful, - and scary – part of the world. Antarctica.

Percy loves excitement and sees fun everywhere, while Posy is a very timid little thing who is easily frightened. He slips and slides and swims. She stands and watches nervously.

My Goodreads review includes several illustrations.

Illustration of Percy splashing happily while Posy is scared to risk a bellyflop

Posy is especially scared of the dark, and I must say her imagination is very lively!

Illustration of Posy’s imagined horrors of the dark

When an iceberg floats near them, Percy sees opportunity where Posy sees threat. He’s off and running and sliding and splashing his way to the iceberg where he plays happily by himself all day long.

Illustration of Percy, excited to see the iceberg

Happily, that is, until he accidentally slides down into a cave and knocks himself on the head. When he hasn’t turned up at the end of the day, everyone says he’ll be fine. But Posy isn’t convinced that all is well with her friend.

Illustration of Posy trying in vain to raise the alarm with the other penguins.

This is Percy! This is her friend we’re talking about. She can’t just leave him to fate over on that iceberg. Who knows what might happen to him? So she bravely runs, dives, splashes and swims her way over to the iceberg and begins hunting. Suddenly, she’s sliding into one of her nightmares!

Illustration of frightened Posy sliding into the ‘mouth’ of the cave

She breaks her fall by bumping into Percy! He’s got a good old bump on his head but seems okay otherwise. He is amazed at how she got there in spite of being scared. She tells him she is STILL scared – of the dark! He explains that it’s actually very beautiful.

Percy and Posy enjoying the Aurora Australis in the night sky.

There are many more illustrations, of course, and it’s obvious Percy isn’t so much a daredevil as someone who really doesn’t see any danger. Perhaps the bump on the head will slow him down. Posy, on the other hand, learned that she could overcome her fears when she had a good enough reason.

When they get home, Percy tells her “You helped me even though you were scared. That makes you the BRAVEST PENGUIN OF ALL!”

There are notes at the end to encourage discussion between older readers and the children with whom they are reading the story. There are also activities for parents or teachers to initiate as well. This story obviously takes place during a period where there is day and night, presumably in the change between seasons of 24-hour days and 24-hour nights. Posy would like the long days but not the nights I presume!

I often share many pictures from children’s books since I don’t consider them “spoilers”, in that I don’t think adults buy picture books sight unseen. We see them first in a bookshop, a library, a school, or at a friend’s house. It’s not like buying a mystery novel. We want to know exactly what message the children will be getting from a story. We don’t want to discover, for example, that a book has some kind of tie-in with a sponsor or brand we might not approve of.

I can’t see any subliminal advertising in this one, so here’s my review for what it’s worth. Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto QEB and especially Steve Smallman, who writes and illustrates such cute books.
#StorytimeNotSoBravePenguin #NetGalley

Percy and Posy are penguins. Percy isn't scared of anything, while Posy fears everything. One day, Percy heads off to explore a huge iceberg and doesn't come back. Posy is afraid that something must have happened to him while their friends tell her not to worry. Will Percy come back on his own, or will Posy find courage to go searching for him?
This story provides a great starting point to discuss fears and what it means to be brave and face those fears. The pictures will engage children quickly and I'm sure many will empathise with Posy and her many fears.
I wouldn't hesitate to use this book in the classroom with Key Stage 1 pupils.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The Not-So-Brave Penguin" explains the nature of bravery and teaches children that being brave isn't the absence of fear, but the willingness to face that fear. Many books and movies portray bravery as the willingness to face adverse situations without being scared or worried. By setting a true and realistic model for bravery, "The Not-So-Brave Penguin" will help children learn how to cope with and face their fears.

Posy the penguin is scared of many things - snowstorms, loud noises, the dark - but when her adventurous friend Percy is missing, Posy plucks up the courage to overcome her fears and goes on an excursion to find him. After an intrepid journey, Posy finds an injured Percy in a dark cave. She rescues him and brings him home, realising in the end just how brave she can really be. This heartwarming story about friendship, being brave and overcoming fears when it really matters is sure to become a bedtime favourite.

This is a sweet little book with Posy the penguin. The story is wonderful about how things scared Posy like snowstorms, heights and the dark, but when his friend is missing he put those fears aside. The illustrations are lovely. The details and expressions on the penguins just make this book. I don't know a child that would not like this story. There is a discussion and comprehension section at the end of the book to help parents and teachers use this book with their children.

A nice simple, heart-warming, story I'd say would be perfect for kids aged 3-5 about being brave when it matters the most. Beautiful pictures and non-complicated language make it perfect for kids just starting out on their reading journey.

Despite it being perfect for younger kids, my seven-year-old enjoyed the 10-minute read, mostly because he's obsessed with penguins, but also because "it was charming". (< his actual words.)

This is a cute story about a penguin named Posy who is scared of all sorts of things. She's a worrier. But when her friend Percy goes missing on a nearby iceberg, she has to face her fears and try to help him herself.

I like the story and the illustrations are really cute, but the grammar and punctuation in the writing leave something to be desired. It marred what could've been an excellent picture book.

I'm also not fond of the stuff at the end that tells parents and teachers how to talk to the kids and do art projects related to the book. I found it kind of condescending (and that was the part aimed at adults, not kids)! The questions parents and teachers are supposed to ask are pretty obvious, as the answers are pretty much spelled out in the story. Some more interesting questions would be the ones that weren't addressed, such as how nobody believed that Percy was in trouble because Posy was the one worrying about it.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and illustrations, but I thought the material at the end was unnecessary and the writing was technically a bit weak. Still, it would be a nice picture book for kids, especially if they happen to be fond of penguins.

Loved the message of this story as well as the illustrations. I thought it was wonderful to have the juxtaposition of a brace and scared penguin and loved the story. The actives at the end of the book were wonderful too and really enhanced the story.

Another beautifully illustrated book that my grandchildren adored. It tells the story of a little penguin who is scared of doing all the exciting things her friends do. That is until her best friend is in trouble and she must overcome her fears in order to help them.

Ahhhhh. This simple story is cute and heartwarming. Two penguins, one who is game for anything, and one who is afraid of many things. But when necessary, one little penguin will find the courage she never knew she had. A wonderful and wonderfully illustrated story.