• Age: 4 to 6
• Grade: p to 1

There once was a sad little penguin. The other animals were worried about him. "What's wrong?" they asked. "I'm a bird but I can't fly! No matter how hard I try, I can't get off the ground. Just once I want to soar above the clouds…" Heartwarming and beautifully illustrated, Kerstin Schoene's North American debut picture book shows how working together can accomplish seemingly impossible goals. Young readers will enjoy helping penguin achieve his dream by reorienting the book and building a 'mountain of friends' to support him.

Kerstin Schoene studied communication design at Bergische University Wuppertal, Germany. She enjoys using pencil, chalk and watercolours, but her favourite medium lately is her graphics tablet. She illustrates for various publishers, and writes and illustrates her own children's books. She lives in Haan, Germany, under the watchful eye of a furry friend.

Kerstin Schoene's profile page

Natalie Hyde writes fiction and non-fiction for middle-grade and young adult readers. Her fiction titles include Mine!, Saving Armpit, I Owe You One and Hockey Girl. She is also the author of over forty educational non-fiction books, as well as trade non-fiction titles: Cryptic Canada, Glow-in-the-Dark Creatures and Stay Strong: A Musician’s Journey from Congo to Canada. Her books have garnered award nominations in both Canada and the U.S. She lives in Flamborough, Ontario, with her family.

Natalie Hyde's profile page

"This darling story that celebrates love, friendship and perseverance is a thoroughgoing delight."
— Starred review from Kirkus

"This poor little penguin yearns to soar above the clouds, but his inability to fly has left him deflated. His quirky tale shows how friends can help each other achieve their dreams. The crowd of carefully drawn animals - an elephant, a hippo, a zebra, and more - highlight diversity, and the interactive nature of the book - the characters give the reader instructions on how to help the penguin - encourages adventurous innovation."
— Foreword Magazine

"As a book originally written in German, the translation is impeccable as the book allows the illustrations to do most of the talking. The text is sparse but effective in storytelling, and I appreciated the opportunity to gaze at Schoene's beautiful illustrations. Her characters are full of animated expression and textured detail. There is an excellent use of white space, creating a sense of loneliness around the sad penguin, and that space becomes brighter and fuller as the friends gather to help out. The full-bleed style of illustration helps as well to give the impression of endless possibility to the quest. Young readers will enjoy identifying all of the animals found in the mountain of friends, and they will giggle at the clever use of levels and positions in which the animals are found."
Recommended"
— CM Magazine