Posted by Jane McMorland Hunter on June 27th, 2022

When I was tidying the 5-7 section in the Children’s department I noticed that there were lots of books on penguins and puffins – so I settled down and read them...

Alex T. Smith, Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure

Mr Penguin is no ordinary penguin; he is an adventurer and, to prove it, he has a dashing hat, an enormous magnifying glass and a battered satchel with a nice lunch of fish finger sandwiches, just in case of emergencies. He puts an advertisement in the local paper and waits for the adventures to arrive. At first nothing happens but when the adventure does arrive it is more exciting than Mr Penguin could have ever imagined. Luckily Colin, the spider in the bowler hat is on hand to help. Mr Penguin’s adventures continue in The Fortress of Secrets, The Catastrophic Cruise and The Tomb of Doom.

Iona Rangeley, Einstein the Penguin

When Mr and Mrs Stewart and their children Imogen and Arthur visit the zoo they particularly like a little penguin. The children are reluctant to leave so Mrs Stewart tells the little penguin that he can come and stay whenever he likes – obviously never dreaming that he would accept the offer. When Einstein turns up at the front door with a battered rucksack and a photograph of his missing friend, life for Imogen and Arthur changes dramatically as they try to solve a very fishy mystery.

Jenny Colgan, Polly and the Puffin

CRASH! What could cause such a noise in the middle of a dark and stormy night? A monster? A huge spider from Outer Space? No, a very small puffin with big black eyes, an orange beak and an injured wing. Polly knows Neil (the puffin) will have to return to the wild once he is better but, when the time comes, it is not as sad as you might imagine. In The New Friend, Polly and Neil make some surprising friends.