The Penguin Quartet

by Peter Arrhenius, Bill Quinn (Narrator)

Scholastic cassette with no book.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Daniel Clausen]

I picked up this delightful book during a visit to the Mogi Community Center Library. It was part of my ongoing project to add a touch more whimsy and lightheartedness to my life. Just last weekend, I had the chance to watch a charming movie featuring penguins called "Penguin Lessons," and ever since, penguins have been on my mind. This children's book, which I had the pleasure of reading in Japanese, tells the story of a group of penguins in a classic penguin-out-of-water tale. In their adventure, they have the unexpected opportunity to meet Woody Allen and manage to overcome the prejudice of a local jazz club owner. Naturally, their performance turns out to be a smashing success, and they even have the chance to meet David Letterman. However, as with all good things, their adventure doesn't last forever, and they find themselves needing to rush back to the South Pole when one of the eggs begins to hatch. Is there a universal message in this whimsical book for me? Perhaps the message for all of us is that even if we are penguins with stubby little things, it doesn't mean we can't play the piano or the bass guitar. We should all strive to step outside of our comfort zones and embrace a little bit of whimsy in our lives.

[Diane]

Tired of watching over their soon-to-be-hatched eggs, four father penguins (Herbie, Charlie, Max and Miles) form a jazz band and travel to New York City to play at all the coolest clubs.

There’s a Woody Allen on the streets on NYC in the illustrations.

[Velvet]

This is one of the funniest, most engaging books my son and I have read in a long time. The book, while very much age-appropriately witty and funny, it definitely has humour designed to also engage and entertain the parents. (If you're a music fan, it's an even bigger treat; so many double entendres - so few pages to list them all)! It's accurate yet comically over-the top portrayal of life in NYC and the restrictive, mundane lives in their native land of Antarctica, and their ensuing adventures they experience while there), makes this book a "must-read for the whole family. It has an excellent, modern story-line and is very cleverly written!! My third grader both learned about gender roles within a family unit AND laughed himself to sleep... a sure sign of a really good book!

[Steven Farmer]

I like this book mainly for the illustrations which are really fantastic. The style just really appeals to me, and I love how much there is going on in them. The story itself is nice too, and I think it would capture children's imagination.

Four penguins get so bored of waiting for their eggs to hatch that they decide to go to New York to play their Jazz music in the city's clubs. They become such a success that soon they are appearing on TV shows and all the best jazz clubs in the city. Before long though, their eggs begin to hatch and the quartet have to rush back to the South Pole, but they had such a great time that they'll be back next year.

[Michaela Zavala]

This is a funny and cute book. It has really detailed illustrations by Ingela Peterson that enhance the humor within the book. It is an enjoyable read that might be a bit long and tedious for young readers. I think it is a great book for parents to read to children because it is cute and has a few cute and quick facts about The Penguin Quartet. The book overall is cute because the penguin Dad's get tired of watching the eggs until they hatch so they decide to go start a jazz band but have to hurry back before their eggs hatch. I think having it as a jazz themed book is a great idea becaue not many kids listen to jazz or are even aware what jazz is today.

[Nessy Bologna]

Läste den här på svenska.. Rolig men inte min favorit

[Marisa]

too long for storytime