Review Detail

Nabil shares his lunch with the penguin Pascal at the zoo - and the cheeky, hungry penguin follows him home! Cheery rhymes tell all about Pascal's rambunctious exploration and Nabil's worry that his parents won't be too happy about the new, surprise friend...

Happily for Nabil, his mother is delighted to meet Pascal, and she makes sure to show him the greatest hospitality, treating Pascal to family dinner with tasty curries and other dishes. Food is present throughout the story, and I love how it's shown bringing people (and penguins) together. There's something special about sharing food and eating together.

Now, I certainly didn't want Nabil to get in trouble, but I was a little taken aback at just how easygoing his parents were about the whole Pascal situation. Probably shouldn't be encouraging smuggling small critters home and not telling anyone about it...but the story's all in good fun, and I'm sure concerned parents can improvise their own lesson to tack on the end if they feel so inclined.

Oh, and the hardcover includes a code for a free audio book!

Overall, a great book for those who love penguins and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.