Penguin and the Cupcake

by Ashley Spires

Most penguins are happy with their all-fish diet, but not Penguin. He€™s craving something just a little bit something soft, something sweet, something covered in luscious pink icing. There are no cupcakes in Antarctica, but Penguin€™s heard that the Northern Hemisphere is a veritable paradise of cupcakes. So, he heads north. On his long journey, Penguin encounters some other cold-weather natives. Polar Bear and Walrus might not know much about cupcakes, but they have a thing or two to say about Penguin€™s storytelling skills! Created with vibrant collage art, this delightfully tongue-in-cheek picture book flows like a graphic novel.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Food, Humor, Storytime, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Ashley has written and illustrated many books, most notably the bestselling The Most Magnificent Thing, which is now a short animated film. She creates books that remind kids that making mistakes is integral to learning. She lives in British Columbia with her dog and a growing army of felines.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few of Ashley Spires's books now. It's fun to see how her style has evolved over the years.

This book is one of her earlier ones, and the illustrations weren't really what I expected. They're cute, though. The story is about Penguin, who's tired of fish and longs for cupcakes. So he packs his bag and flaps his wings and takes off for the Northern Hemisphere... only to have Walrus and Polar Bear point out that penguins can't fly. So Penguin has to take a commercial flight instead. But when he gets to his destination, he finds more snow and a dearth of cupcakes. What will he do?

The story is cute enough, and the ending is sweet (pun intended). The layout is interesting, too; it's not quite a straight storybook narrative, which adds a bit of interest.

Recommended to fans of penguins and/or Ashley Spires's other cute books.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "commentaries" are there to appeal to "hip" grownups who really want books that appeal to them, not the kids. The text is funny in spots but uneven. And the whole package is clearly intended to increase the market for the author's cute l'il finger puppets, which she plugs on the end flap. Why she didn't just package the puppets with the book and be done with it, I'll never know.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Penguin is sick and tired of eating fish all the time. What he really wants is CUPCAKES!!!! He sets off on a journey to find the desired treat. Penguin does not end up where he thought he would, but it's okay because he meets some new friends. Eventually he decides to return home to his regular meals of fish. This is a silly story that might have entertained more if it weren't for the interjections that show up on lined notebook paper. These comments don't seem to fit the story and interrupt the flow. The cute characters were inspired by the author/illustrators own line of felt finger puppets. Maybe she hopes to sell more of her creations to the people who read this book, but I am not buying.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is a "Kate" book. Great pictures, hilarious commentary by characters. A penguin decides to visit the north pole in search of cupcakes. Along the way, said penguin defies reality by flying, meeting a "kelp" eating Walrus (they eat clams and mussels), and finally meeting a nice lady on the plane back... with... cupcakes. I might have to buy this one for all my nieces and nephews.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute book. I like how there were (kind of) three points of view in the story, even though Polar Bear and Walrus didn't have that big of a part in the text. The one thing that made this book a 3 star instead of a 4-5 star for me...all of those tiny side notes got very irritating. Especially the one about Walrus just needing to love herself. News flash: This is a book for kids that do not understand that yet, so why even throw that in here. Just a thought.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penguin wants to eat something more than fish. He wants a cupcake!

He flies (in a plane) to the northern hemisphere to find one. He ends up in the arctic with polar bears and walruses (polar bears think penguins might be food). He decides he wants to go home!

On the plane home, a lady gives him a cupcake.

Kind of a silly story that reminds you that penguins and polar bears don't live together.

[Sarahs Reads ToKids]

My daughter's birthday is in January and so a book that has Penguins and Cupcakes in it is going to be read during the month of January in our house. This book is very funny and even more informative about Penguins, Polar Bears and Walruses. As the kids get older, they think this book is funnier and they understand more about the animals and where they live.

[Ellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I loved this. I’m such a penguin lover and even though this is clearly fantasy, I love how actual facts were included as well (like how penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere, along with other facts). Spires’s humor is exactly perfect for me!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute story about Penguin who went on a search for cupcakes. Funny interactions between him and the characters he met, and funny ending - with fun illustrations.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It tells a very cute story and I really like the facts included on the pages.

[Emma Cochran · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters were cute, I will admit. However the asides by the "supporting" characters did not really make the story cohesive. The humor was lacking.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a hoot!

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A penguin travels north from Antartica in search of cupcakes.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty hilarious! All Penguin wants is some cupcakes, but since he can't find them at the South Pole, he decides to travel north and seek them out at the North Pole as well! With educational asides on climate change and overfishing and the like, this book offered a lot more than a silly story. But I agreed with the polar bear and walrus on the last page - I wish they both had been featured more!

[Rommel Sison · Rating 4 out of 5]

5-year-old daughter: 5 stars
6-year-old daughter: 5 stars

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! I love it. The illustrations are great. The story is hilarious. Great possibilities for storytime if I can nail 4 voices down. I may pass on the notes for the storytime crowd, since they might not get them. And though they were informative and a little preachy, I also found them hilarious to be included. A sschool-age child might enjoy that in a read-alone or storytime. Lap-read would work, too.

1/14/15 Thought I'd give it a try in the Birds preschool theme. Parts definitely over their heads, but they got the cupcakes and pizza part. I only read the first note, intending to skip the others. But even the first flopped. So, for preschool no notes. But I think in school-age--particularly upper elementary--they would be hilarious.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penguin is tired of eating fish in Antarctica. He wants a sweet treat and he heard he can find them in the Northern Hemisphere. So penguin flies to the Northern Hemisphere in search of cupcakes and he encounters a polar bear and walrus along the way. His new friends don't know where to find cupcakes but they do have an opinion about penguin's storytelling skills!
I read this book and laughed out loud! Spires created Binky the Space Cat so I'm not surprised by the humor in this book. And the illustrations are great too. I love the little facts about penguins, polar bears, and walruses added on little scraps of paper.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent in tone of "Pigeon Drives the Bus," but funnier and with more substance. Penguin, tired of his normal fishy diet, goes in search of a cupcake. He boards a plane for the Northern Hemisphere, but ends up in the artic where he finds a polar bear and a walrus, but no cupcake. Along the way, we learn about bit about the animals and their habitat. I like a book with good dialog that reads aloud well.

[Tayler K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is what it would be like if I tried to write a children's book--here's your cute story but I really need to include some real-life notes because there are some important things going on!

This really was a very cute story though with wonderful illustrations. I thought the style and how the characters talked was neat because it is like they are all there telling you the story.

I'm off to see about a Pizza sequel...

[Karen! · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know. Me rating a penguin book this low is alarming. Me rating a penguin picture book this low is extremely alarming.

The illustrations are adorable, and who doesn't love cupcakes? My problem is that this book is not written for children. There is a lot of text and the sly jokes meant for adults elicited barely a chuckle. I wish the writing were better, because this should have been a new favorite.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day, Penguin gets tired of eating fish so he goes in search of cupcakes. He finds new friends as well as a new diet.

What I thought: A fun book! The story is great. I like the intrusive characters (Walrus & Polar Bear) and the editorial notes that address environmental problems. The illustrations suit the story. I was glad to see the use of purple (Walrus) in the story.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Penguin is tired of eating fish every day. Really, really tired. One day he gets a craving for cupcakes and sets off on a journey to find this elusive sugary treat. The interactions he has with the friends he meets along the way as well as the side notes in the book are really funny.

-Michael S.-

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coworkers and I laughed out loud at this story about a penguin who wants to add variety to his diet. Snarky little notes throuhout the book intially appear to be heavy-handed and "educational," but are hilarious. This is how to write books that kids will love, as well as actually learn from. Good for elementary students, and would be enjoyed by middle-schoolers, too.

[Stephanie Fujii · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like a 3.5 stars. It was a cute plot about a penguin seeking cupcakes - what's not to like there? It had some conservation information peppered throughout about wildlife in the arctic, which was interesting, though not to Amaya.

This probably would be a book better suited for an older kiddo. It was cute, though.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally cute winter story for K+. Talk of hemispheres, walruses, polar bears, and penguins. Facts scattered throughout. Humorous line of banter. Harold and Piggie-esque.

Could talk about fact and fiction, geography, food/people & animal diets, etc.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book has ADORABLE illustrations -- and that's about all. I think the cupcake was an excuse to get penguin to travel (and rather a flimsy one) in order to sneak in facts that might have been interesting if they weren't written in ten-point font and as an aside.

[Stacie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumb. Dumb concept. Dumb characters. Dumb lessons for children about eating and nutrition. Not funny. When the polar bear said "I'm sick of this book" I wholeheartedly agreed. Too bad that line came on the last page. If it came sooner I could have saved minutes of my life.

[jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute story with some humor and environmental facts tossed in for good measure.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story told by penguin, in search of cupcakes. Within the story are a few notes about the environment.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

very funny