A Goofy Guide to Penguins

A twin-brother team supplies "everything you never, ever asked about penguins!" The comic's horizontal trim size allows for four-panel spreads; young emperor penguins hang out on the edges, providing narration and asking and answering silly questions in a kinda-sorta informational fashion. Philippe Coudray's crisp illustrations are rendered in a cool palette, matching the frigid setting. Back matter provides "100% genuine, real facts."

A twin-brother team supplies "everything you never, ever asked about penguins!" The comic's horizontal trim size allows for four-panel spreads (two panels on each page); young emperor penguins hang out on the edges, providing narration and asking and answering silly questions in a kinda-sorta informational fashion. "Why don't penguins grow flowers?" "Here's why": the next panel shows a penguin attempting to water a flower using a watering can filled with snow. "How do penguins know that they've reached the South Pole?" When they see a sign pointing north in every direction, of course. The spreads are predictable in layout, but not content -- with the creators often playing on the absurd for jokes that land with variable success. The focus is on the zany, but kernels of truth can be found if one looks closely: for example, when a penguin snuggles up to an electric heater (plugged into the ice), the text reads, "They're already warm thanks to their fat and feathers." Philippe Coudray's crisp illustrations are rendered in a cool palette, matching the frigid setting. Back matter provides "100% genuine, real facts about penguins!" for readers looking to expand their knowledge beyond the book's goofiness. elisa gall