Ethel the penguin’s my best friend,
It’s always her and me.
She’s black and white and round-all-round
And WILD as can be!
Ethel lives next door to a little girl, in a semi-detached iceberg. They’re besties and go to the same school. The teacher likes Ethel to sit by herself as she can be a bit LAWLESS. You never know what Ethel’s going to do!
One day Ethel runs away and leaves a note for her mum and dad. ‘I’ve gone for a ride on a Ferris wheel!’ Goodness! They take off after her. When they arrive, she is on the Ferris wheel!
Ethel laughs and waves, but everyone calls for her to come down. ‘I’ll never come down, not me!’ Ethel’s father’s feathers turn to grey, he ‘fainted clear away’.
Then Ethel sees her parents faint and cry. ‘Have I really been that bad? What could be worse … than a penguin who would willingly break her parents’ hearts!’ So, she takes a leap from up high. But uh oh, penguins cannot fly!
The rhyming text makes this a rollicking story and the illustrations are bright, adding to the fun.
This is a hilarious story that will have little ones giggling away and asking, ‘Can we read it again?’
Reviewed by Emily Ross
Age Guide 3+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ursula Dubosarsky was born and grew up in Sydney and wanted to be a writer from the age of six. She is now the author of over 60 books for children and young adults, and her work is published all over the world. She has won several national literary awards, including the Victorian, Queensland and South Australian State Awards for literature, and has also won the NSW Premier’s Literary Award a record five times, more than any other writer in the history of the awards. Internationally she has been nominated for both the Hans Christian Andersen award and the Astrid Lindgren prizes for children’s literature. She has a PhD in English literature and currently lives in Sydney. Ursula Dubosarsky was the 2020-2021 Australian Children’s Laureate.
Visit Ursula Dubosarsky’s website
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Christopher Nielsen is an award-winning author/illustrator specialising in bringing joy and wonder to children through his art and storytelling. His artwork is inspired by a passion for mid-century design and has been short-listed for the CBCA Award for New Illustrators. Born in Brisbane, Chris now lives in Sydney. When he’s not illustrating or raising a young family, he can be found on stage playing guitar with his band The Ramalamas. www.chrisillo.com
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