One Potato Review

Still waters run deep. With a title that announces itself this boldly, you’d better be pointing to something pretty essential about our perceptions (and misperceptions) of a species that has recently made such a run at movie stardom it’s a wonder they don’t run their own production company. Who knows what penguins want, but their expressive waddles and comical inabilities (to fly, or fight off predators) and reluctant facial expressions seem to hint at the possibility that maybe they are the ones in the whole of the animal kingdom who can understand us, and maybe we can understand them back. Even the birdiest little brain is worth a try. There’s kind of a weird moment here where a lion suddenly swallows a boy for being too noisy (and spits him out again), but the story is otherwise harmless and rhythmic and a little bit funny (the penguin remains impassive even when he is strapped to a rocket and fired into outer space), and probably suitable for any young reader who has wondered if anyone is ever listening.