There are three words written in this book, all of them onomatepoeticons describing the sound of melting ice in Antartica - home of the penguins. Penguins live in large groups, and this is the first thing we are shown in the book - a large group of penguins, with a penguin child standing in the outskirts, fully focused on the fish he is about to eat.
 

Then: Crack! The little block of ice he is standing on breaks away from the iceberg, and the penguin finds himself separated from his friends and family, all alone in the middle of the vast ocean.

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This does not sound like the start of a feel-good, funny picturebook, but it is! Seou Lee is a master of portraying emotions, and the reader feels penguin´s fear and sorrow as he sees all his loved ones slip further and further away. He cries, until the beauty of the world makes his eyes grow big with amazement instead of filling with tears. Standing on his block of ice, he sails past gorgeous aurora borealis, wonderful icescapes. He sees the giant Jesus statue in Rio the Janeiro, waves to a Venezian gondolier and enjoys the view of both a pittoresque Greek village and the Sydney opera house. 

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The reader tours the world with him, enjoying the amazing views and his awed expressions. But then his block of ice starts melting, it gets smaller and smaller and smaller... Luckily, he reaches the shores of Hawaii before it is all gone. As usual, we will not spoil the surprise at the ending for you, but we can reveal that the ending is both happy and very funny at the same time.

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There are so many picturebooks about the environment. This is one of the best ones. Seou Lee keeps it light and funny, making it first and foremost an enjoyable book about hope, friendship and the beauty of the world. The melting block of ice is more an afterthought - we have seen the world in all it´s beauty, now let´s make sure to take care of it. There is no pointed finger or obvious learning points, just subtle hints.

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Seou Lee`s illustrations makes us feel empthaty and love for the little penguin from the start of the book. For many children, the anxiety of being separated from your parents will be very relatable. The soft backgrounds of the surroundings work well with the clear lines of the characters. 

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This book is also published in English, under the title "Bye, penguin", at Levine Querido in 2020.

 

If you find the penguin familiar, you are right, at Readsilentbooks.com we are very proud and honored to have Seou Lee as the maker of the lovely illustrations for our logo!