Owl and Penguin

Owl and Penguin #1

by Vikram Madan

Owl likes peace and quiet.
Penguin likes to SING OUT LOUD.

But best friends don't need to be the same. Sometimes it's good to disagree! Owl and Penguin celebrate their differences and solve their problems with creative play. From ice cream mishaps to rainy day chills, there's nothing these pals can't get through together.

In three nearly wordless stories, art takes charge of the storytelling, supplemented by simple text captions and emoticon-style images in speech bubbles.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Fiction, Birds, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

Vikram Madan lives in Seattle where he makes fun art and writes funny books including:
* BEWARE THE DRAGON AND THE NOZZLEWOCK - A Poetry Collection in a Graphic Novel format (Ages 7 and up, and for poetry and comic lovers of all ages) - Kirkus Starred Review, Horn Book Starred Review, Kirkus Best Books of the Year, Boston Globe Best Books of the Year, EPL 101 Great Books for Kids 2024.
* ZOONI TALES (Graphic-Novel-In-Rhyme series, 2 books) - Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections
* OWL & PENGUIN (Starter Graphic Novel Series, 3 books) - 2023 Geisel Honor Book, ALA Notable Children's Book, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
* 'A HATFUL OF DRAGONS' (Funny Poetry Collection) - Selected as a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, New York Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, Denver Public Library, School Library Journal Fuse 8 and others; Finalist for Texas Bluebonnet & South Dakota Prairie Bloom State Awards; ALA ALSC Reading Pick; and recipient of a Kirkus Starred Review. Visit www.HatfulOfDragons.com for a free educator's guide for this book.
* 'THE BUBBLE COLLECTOR' and 'LORD OF THE BUBBLES' (Funny Poetry Collections) - both winners of Moonbeam Book Awards for Children's Poetry
* BOBO & PUP-PUP (Early Reader Series - 4 books) - Recipient of a CCB Starred Review

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the early-reader "I Like to Read Comics" that I've seen, this has been the easiest reading level so far, with the simplest words and relatively few words per page. And I LOVED the stories. It could just be read as a story of friendship where friends help each other out, but I'm reading these with a dyslexic child, and the stories put me in the mind of disability accommodations. In the first two stories, Owl sees that Penguin is frustrated because he can't do something, and comes up with an idea to help Penguin still be able to do the things he wants to do. In the last one, it's Owl who is struggling and Penguin who comes up with an idea to help.

I'm guess that the graphic novel format will probably appeal to a lot of kids with reading disabilities, and this was a very simple early reader that still gave me ALL THE FEELS.

My child also loved it. He laughed at the pictures and had a fun time guessing what ideas the characters would come up with to solve their problems.

There's another Owl and Penguin book coming out in June and I have pre-ordered it. Highly recommended.

[Nathan Meier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good! I find it interesting how it uses a combination of facial expressions, picture bubbles, and short narration to tell the story in several ways at once. It’s nice seeing the two characters help each other out.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

• 2023 Geisel Honor Book •

Lovely illustrations about friendship and problem solving! Love Owl and Penguin’s expressive faces.

Materials used: “hand drawn on a tablet computer”

Typeface used: unlisted

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what every little penguin needs, a problem solving owl for a best friend.

[Lauren Hightower · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can imagine the first chapter book of Frog and Toad and then turn this into the first comic book but sub in an owl and penguin version- you have this book. Adorable.

[Makenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great

[Ann Haefele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Geisel honor award book is delightful with several friendship stories told mostly by graphics, thought speech bubbles, and spare text. The illustrations almost tell the story by themselves…the words almost are not needed. The vivid colorful illustrations show very expressive characters.

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this early graphic novel! Owl and Penguin will go right up there with Elephant and Piggie, Frog and Toad!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few words and lots of visual cues mean that even pre-literate kids could "read" this sweet 3-chapter story of 2 friends who work creatively to support each other despite their differences.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As often happens with friends, Owl and Penguin couldn't be more different from one another. In these three short stories, readers have a chance to learn about how to be good friends from the two of them. In the first story, Penguin is distraught after dropping the ice cream from a cone--twice--after Owl gives his ice cream to his friend. But they find the humor in the situation. In the second story, Owl finds a way to enable Penguin to fly, beneath a hot air balloon. And in the third story, Penguin takes care of Owl and makes him dry, warm, and cozy after the two of them have become soaked in the rain. Not only are the stories helpful in fostering reading comprehension skills, but young readers have a chance to read the pictures, drawn by hand on a tablet and resembling comic strip images, as well as text. I continue to like this "I Like to Read" series and suggest it for parents, caregivers, and teachers looking for accessible books that help support beginning readers.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Owl buys ice cream cones, Penguin gets so excited, the ice cream falls to the ground. So Owl gives Penguin the other and it happens again. The friends are sad but Owl gets a great idea! When Penguin is sad because they can't fly, Owl takes them up in a hot air balloon. But going high isn't flying. Owl gets a great idea! It's a rainy day, Penguin wants Owl to play outside, but Owl doesn't want to get wet. An umbrella works for a while, but when Owl gets wet anyway, it's time for Penguin to get a great idea.

I loved Owl and Penguin so much! The story is told in graphic format, with narration boxes helping it along. Madan's illustrations are fun, expressive, and perfect for this story. A delightful beginning reader for a child new to reading on their own.

Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Chris Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I work with kids age 3-5 as a speech therapist. I showed this to one little girl WITH A LANGUAGE DELAY and the very next time I saw her, she said (despite her limited language skills) "I have an idea!" in the same intonation we had use while reading this AWESOME book! I had never heard her use that phrase prior to reading this book together. Then she picked up a marker and started coloring and we made our own quick stories in minutes.

This book is perfect at teaching basic narrative structure but in such a fun way that the kids don't realize they're learning it! They completely relate to the engaging illustrations which depict perfectly the characters many feelings-another great thing to talk about while reading!

Vikram Madan really hit one out of the park with this one! Thank you, Vikram, for helping so many children and adults with your fun, fun book!

[Madison Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would be great for young readers who are just starting to read. The illustrations do most of the storytelling other than the words. If a beginning reader was reading this, it would be easy for them to follow along and understand what is happening in the story. I love that this story is all about friendship and problem-solving. I think that is such a great message for books to have. The story was about two friends, an owl, and a penguin. It started off with the owl getting ice cream for the both of them, but the penguin dropped his. Owl finds a way to make penguin happy because he is his best friend. In the end penguin wants owl to come outside in the rain, but owl doesn't want to get wet, so they come up with a solution so that they can play together outside. This is a story that I would recommend in the future.

[Karen Gedeon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owl and Penguin Written and illustrated by Vikram Madan, I Like to Read Comics, 2023 Geisel Honor Book. Friends Owl and Penguin have lots of fun times together, but soon realize they have different interests which seem insurmountable. Broken into three chapters: one for both the characters, one showcasing Owl’s love of flying and one for Penguins love of rain, the friends come through for each other by sharing and altering their activities for their friend. Beginner readers will get important exposure to the graphic novel format as they learn to follow the story through text and illustrations as they learn the lesson that doing things with friends, even if it is different than you want it to be, can be more fun than doing things alone. Grades 1-4.

[Elayne Crain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owl and Penguin are two charming friends who value one another far more than their many differences in opinion. But what is happening behind the scenes, helping kids explore visual literacy, is also wonderful. The expressive characters introduce early comics and graphic novel readers to reading character expression, context, and subtext. I can't imagine an emerging or reluctant reader who would not be interested in what these two adventurous, eye-catching critters are up to next. A fun set of stories told in an entertaining and accessible way--the perfect book to introduce young readers to the pleasure of reading (and re-reading) on one's own!

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable graphic-novel style early reader in the same vein as Frog & Toad and Elephant & Piggie. Two friends are opposite in character but have a strong bond that is relatable and charming. This book contains 3 different narratives that celebrate the gift of friendship and how how friends can help each other gain a fresh perspective when things seem sad or frustrating. This is a fresh and fun book for new readers to enjoy!

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Holiday House. Opinions are my own.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owl and Penguin are friends who help each other out when ice cream is dropped, when dreams are hard to reach, and when hazards stand in the way of fun.

Awww, Owl and Penguin are such sweet friends. I like their little mini adventures with ice cream, hot air balloons, and puddle stomping. The text is fairly minimal and the adorable illustrations do half of the story telling, making this a great pick for just beginning readers.

[Amy Niles · Rating 4 out of 5]

First impression was wonderful colors. Bold and colorful, the red in particular, the bright illustrations work for communication instead of heavy dialogue. The message is simple and clear and shows through action how helping a friend makes you feel good too. The book carefully takes into consideration, the real limitations each animal has, such as a penguin not flying, or an owl not wanting to be wet.

[Ellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars (I loved it)

So I'm not entirely sure whether I should categorize this as a graphic novel or a picture book. I mean, it is definitely a graphic novel but it's a beginner graphic novel.
Anyway, this is absolutely adorable! I am not surprised at all to find out it's a Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor book. I was thinking about how it's such an engaging text for beginning readers the whole time I was reading it. Plus, penguin! :-D

[Bradi Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owl and Penguin couldn't be more different, but they are best friends. This story captures them problem solving together and captures the beauty of friendship and their unshakable bond. Each part of the story Is based on relatable situations such as cheering up a friend, working together,and handling disappointment. All of these things are great to teach kids these are lessons we all have to deal with and having a friend by your side is a beautiful thing

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy reading graphic novel with threee stories about two friends, Owl and Penguin. The three stories, Ice Cream, Flying, and Splish-Splash, all deal with big emotions that will resonate with young readers. With minimum text and simple, yet expressive illustrations, the stories are heartfelt and comforting. Also Penguin is absolutely adorable!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kindergartener enjoyed reading this and wanted more. It has a Frog and Toad feel to it, though the reading level is much lower. Lots of repetition and colorful pictures in this Geisel Honor book.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My two children loved this book! The words were easy for them to understand and the illustrations perfectly captured the different stories that occur throughout. They could easily look at each page without any words being read to them and know exactly what is happening. Most importantly, the value of a true and kind friendship is shown beautifully between Owl and Penguin.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owl is quiet while Penguin is loud. They love doing things together and work to find ways for both of them to have fun. It's mostly wordless with one or two sentences narrating each two-page spread. Their big eyes make this book adorable. They kinda remind me of Beanie Books. A cute book that could be read to young readers who aren't ready for Owly yet.

[Angie Counsell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute easy reader that explores the friendship between Owl and Penguin and some of their adventures. The amount of text in the book really lends itself to low or reluctant readers. The words are predictable but the story line will engage the kids. Each of the adventures (there are 3) are solved through teamwork and kindness which makes this a very heartwarming book for young kids to read.

[Taira Weimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book features graphic, thought out speech bubbles, and spare text, telling simple friendship stories through vivid, colorful illustrations. The message emphasizes the importance of helping friends and the positive impact it has on one's own feelings. It also considers the limitations of each animal as well.

[Christan Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madan tells a sweet tale about the value of acceptance and the strength of friendship through endearing drawings and clever speech. This book is enjoyable to read because of its charming characters and inspirational messages, even though the plot may seem a little predictable at times. Ideal for anyone searching for a humorous yet uplifting story.

[Emily Behon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that this book is a graphic novel for younger readers, however it has very few words and is mostly pictures. That being said however, the images used are well done and the illustration style fit the story well. It has a very relatable lesson for children about accepting differences and being kind to those that are not like us.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

2023 ALA Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book for the most distinguished beginning reader book

An I Like to Read book
A nearly wordless comic book style about two friends who like to do things together but have different capabilities and help each other. Limited vocabulary.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a sweet book of kindness and help in friendship. Both Owl and Penguin care for one another and help each other problem solve the problems they face: ice cream that won't stay on the cone, Penguin not being able to fly, and Owl not liking to get wet in the rain.