The Emperor's Cool Clothes

K-Gr 3—A retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen tale with an Antarctic twist. The Emperor, actually an emperor penguin, wants to make an impression so he dresses in the "coolest" clothes. But reaching total coolness is a lofty goal and this royal with low self-esteem is always searching for the perfect outfit. Two rascally rogues are on to his problem and offer to make him an outfit so cool that it will be invisible to all who are not hip like him. Even the chancellors can't see the clothes but are afraid to tell the emperor. And so it goes. An author's note explains the theme and its relevance today. Harper's menagerie includes two rascally weasels, a polar bear and a walrus as councilors, and albatrosses acting as the monarch's pawns. The puns run rampant, including a shopping center with stores named "Cold Navy" and "Nordicstrom," but many will escape the notice of young children. The illustrations have clever details as well. This is a silly adaptation of the familiar tale but the new venue adds some life. It's far from "totally cool," but kids will find it funny.—C. J. Connor, Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring, KY