A penguin doesn't often come upon a pinecone wedged into the frozen white of the snowy landscape it calls home, out in the Arctic nowhere, but that's just what happens to Penguin when he takes a walk one day. And though the object he finds nestled in the snow may be nothing but a pinecone to most birds, to Penguin it is a new little friend, and one who is cold, at that. This pinecone needs a bit of tender loving care, maybe someone who cares enough to knit it a little scarf to ward off the polar chill. Thus, Penguin and Pinecone strike up an unexpected friendship, one that goes much deeper than softhearted animal and inanimate object. Penguin cares enough to realize Pinecone won't be happy longterm in the forbidding Arctic environment, and if he wants to help his new friend adjust to a regular life, it will have to be somewhere Penguin can't be all the time.
Penguin makes the sacrifice to deliver Pinecone where he needs to go in order to thrive, knowing all along he's going to miss his pal once they've parted, but goodbye is not forever. After time has passed, Penguin wonders: Is Pinecone doing well on his own? Was it the right move to send him away from the Arctic? When Penguin goes to visit his friend where he planted him, he just might be in for a sweet surprise, an unforgettable affirmation of the selfless devotion he demonstrated to give Pinecone all the best that he deserves. There's no nicer feeling than knowing one has done right by one's closest friend, and that kind of love has a way of multiplying and touching others, spreading as far as the mind can imagine. And it can all start with nothing more than a penguin and a pinecone, brought together by the mysterious workings of serendipity.
Salina Yoon is a good creator of books in every way. Her writing is spare, effervescent and touching, and her drawings are beautifully understated, much in the same artistic style as Mo Willems at his best. Penguin and Pinecone is a story of which I am quite fond, and I'm positive the youngest readers will love it. I would give this book two and a half stars and my full recommendation for anyone desiring a short, sweet story that will make them smile and leave them a little happier than when they started reading. That's what it's all about here, and Penguin and Pinecone fulfills that promise abundantly.