Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure: Book 1

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Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Mr Penguin and Colin (a spider and Mr Penguin's silent right hand man) are called in to find the missing treasure somewhere in the Museum of Extraordinary Objects. The quest finds them solving secret codes, fighting ferocious beasts, eating fish finger sandwiches and travelling deep below the museum to a lost jungle... Mr. Penguin is new to the Adventure business, and untested, but he proves his mettle in this tale. Smith excels at creating characters who are a bit innocent and inexperienced, but full of good instincts, good intentions, and the right stuff. I think these are great sorts of main characters for kids books. Mr. Penguin isn't foolish or sappy or cowardly or "silly". Like the book's readers, he's keen to have adventures, have experiences, do right, and "grow up". That you can have all of that with some excitement and a lot of laughs is just super extra bonus time. Mr Penguin advertises in ‘The Cityville Times,’ looking for adventure and this comes when he gets his first call, from Boudicca Bones at the Museum of Extraordinary Objects. Ms Bones is desperate to find the treasure that her great-great-great-grandfather buried somewhere in the museum and Mr Penguin is sure he can help her. When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.

From the international bestselling creator of Claude, comes a brand new hero – Mr Penguin, adventurer and penguin.

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The fact that our author, Alex Smith, is responsible for the amusing "Claude" series was all I needed to interest me in this book, the first in a new "Mr. Penguin" series. This one seems aimed at a slightly older crowd, but has the same charm and appeal as the "Claude" books.

Thank goodness Miss Bones, the curator of the Museum of Extraordinary Objects, needs his help! Her museum is absolutely falling apart and will have to close unless they can find the secret treasure that her great-great-great-grandfather hid somewhere in the museum. She and her brother, Montague, have been searching everywhere but haven't been able to find even a clue. Claude won the 5-9 young fiction Sainsbury's Children's Book Award, was selected for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, the Richard and Judy Book Club and is soon to be a TV star on Disney Junior with 52 episodes airing in 2017. Alex T. Smith is a World Book Day Illustrator. So, I thought this was both good-natured fun and a quality reading experience, and I was delighted to have this new step up from "Claude".

Mr Penguin has decided to open his own adventuring business. He and his trusty assistant, Colin, a spider, are ready to be there when you need an adventurer. On his very first day, Mr Penguin is called by the owners of The Museum of Extraordinary Objects to come help them find a treasure. But adventuring turns out to be a whole lot more long, tiring, dangerous, and hungry than Mr Penguin thought it would be. Can he and Colin make it as adventurers? Aspiring adventurer Mr. Penguin solves his first mystery with the help of an earnest crew in this quirky, sharply illustrated chapter book. The drawing supports all of that wonderfully. The lines are crisp and clear, and color is understated. The drawings illustrate what's going on in the story, so they are both amusing in their own right and helpful in understanding and following the action. Whimsy is in the eye of the beholder, but at least to me these characters just come across as fun and friendly. Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.