Penguin Cha-Cha

K-Gr 2—In this sweet zoo fantasy, Julia notices that the penguins are pilfering props from a stage show. When she spies on them from afar, she sees that the birds are dancing in their cove. The zookeeper doesn't believe her, and the penguins won't dance when she is near, so she goes undercover by dressing herself as one of them and finding a partner in Hippo-to no avail. Disappointed, Julia goes home but returns the next day to demonstrate a different dance, and with a "Tap, flap, cha-cha-cha," the penguins simply can't resist joining in. The illustrations are full of gentle colors, loose gestural lines, and broad curves that convey a sense of whimsy and draw readers into a soft-focus world where reality is just slightly different. With the exception of the hippo, the penguins and other animals are not overly anthropomorphized, which adds humorous incongruity to the story and further blurs the line between reality and fantasy. The image of the zookeeper checking on the penguins, seeing Julia in her obvious disguise, and concluding that all is well is an absurd delight that channels the logic that young children apply as they learn to differentiate between what is possible and impossible. A great one-on-one read that will surely generate delightful discussions between adults and children, this one is guaranteed to dance off the shelves.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, White Bear Lake, MN