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Penguin Problems is a 2016 Children's picture book by Jory John and illustrated by Lane Smith. It is about a penguin that complains about his situation. They would later follow that up with Giraffe Problems (2018) and Cat Problems (2021).
 | |
| Author | Jory John |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Lane Smith |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Published | 2016 (Random House) |
| Publication place | USA |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 29 (unpaginated) |
| ISBN | 9780553513370 |
| OCLC | 960168963 |
Penguin Problems was well-received by critics, including a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, who said the book is "well-paced, bursting with humor, and charmingly misanthropic."[1] Jan Carr, writing for Common Sense Media, gave the book four out of five stars.[2]
Multiple praised John's writing. Booklist's Sarah Hunter highlighted the book's "wry humor", as did Publishers Weekly, who said, "John [...] delivers a rat-a-tat series of laughs".[3] Sam Bloom, writing for Horn Book Magazine, added, "The temperature may be below freezing, but the snark level is cranked up high in this collaboration between funnymen John and Smith."[4] The New York Times's Michael Ian Black called the book "funny and acerbic".[5]
Reviewers also highlighted Smith's illustrations, which Booklist's Smith called "distinctive".[6] Publishers Weekly said the "minimalist polar landscapes highlight the penguin's awkward moments".[3] The New York Times's Black highlighted the "evocative illustrations of endless cold, frightful inky depths and the spartan beauty of Antarctic mountain peaks".[5]
School Library Journal's Joy Fleishhacker also complimented the "sublime pairing", which she says "results in a rib-tickling exploration of what it means to look at the unsunny side."[7]
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Penguin Problems is a Junior Library Guild book.[8] The Irish Times named it one of the best children's books of 2016,[9] and Bank Street College of Education included it on their 2017 list of the year's best children's books.[10]
| Year | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Kirkus Prize for Young Readers | Nominee | [8] |
| 2018-2019 | Prairie Bloom Book Award | Nominee | [8] |
| 2019 | Beehive Award | Nominee | [11] |
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