Review Detail

Zenguin

Kids Fiction 276

Zen Gardens Made of Snow

December 03, 2025 (Updated: June 23, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Penguin has a busy life in Antarctica with his large community, but sometimes it gets to be too much. There is a lot of noise and commotion, and he has a younger sister, Pip, who is very vocal. One day, after squabbling over a fish with Pip, he yells at everyone to be quiet and stomps off. Taking a moment to regroup, he recalls that some of his friends talk about a feeling of calm called "zen". He asks Blue Whale how to stay calm, and Blue Whale teaches Penguin to take deep breaths. Seal models yoga practices, and Gull explains how his wintery zen garden helps him stay calm. All of these things help him feel calmer. When Pip gets tangled up in her knitting yarn after a gust of wind, Penguin helps her to calm down so he can untangle her by uses some of the methods he has learned. Pip is glad to be free, and the next day brings her brother a sweater with his name on it. The last page includes some calming techniques.

Good Points

Since Pip's use of double pointed knitting needles for creating a glove is quite well rendered, we will imagine that she has been working on the sweater for Penguin for some time, but decides to give it to him after her incident. It's a lovely sweater, complete with either a color work or duplicate stitch name, so she didn't whip that up overnight, especially since fitting a sweater over wings can't be easy!

Hanson's illustrations are rendered in soft blues and grays, with some touches of purple, reflect the wintery landscape and penguin monotones while also infusing an air of calm. There's a delightfully fuzzy quality to the pictures that makes Penguin and Pip seems very cuddly.

This simple story has some clever moments; having different animals teach Penguin calming techniques is inspired, and I particularly loved Gull's snow zen garden. The heart on Penguin's chest is somehow an endearing touch.

There are a growing number of children's picture books about mindfulness, and Zenguin joins the list of these that includes Davison and Allright's Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny, Verde and Reynold's I Am Peace, Sooful and Zacarias' Counting to Calm, Wilson's Think: A Celebration of Mindfulness, and Gravel's Puppy in My Head.