PENGUIN AND PINECONE: A FRIENDSHIP STORY

How have I talked about picture books for as long as I have without having read any of Salina Yoon's Penguin books?? Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story is absolutely adorable, and I laughed out loud at points. Has there ever been a sweeter gesture than a penguin making a scarf for a pinecone?! Penguin is walking along one day when he finds a pinecone sitting in the snow. Afraid that his new friend might get chilly so far from home, Penguin knits Pinecone a little scarf to match his own. But one day Penguin's grandpa explains to him that pinecones are not native to Penguin's home and that Pinecone probably wants to return home to where it's warmer and more forested. So Penguin sets out to send Pinecone home, and it's just an absolutely touching story.

Yoon creates her illustrations digitally, so we get these giant blocks of color. The way she adds in texture--Penguin's fur, leaves on the trees--helps make each part of the illustration stand out on its own. We see in the illustrations just how hard Penguin works to get Pinecone home: he literally drags Pinecone from one page to the next and Yoon gives us a good perspective on how small Penguin is compared to his task.

Thanks so much to @lihinggummybearmama for sending this to me as part of @bookbloom's Holiday Book Exchange (and for keeping it religion-neutral). You're amazing!! #bookbloomHBE