Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will receive a small stipend for this review. I am working with Page Street Kids and The Children's Book Review to be part of this virtual book tour. All opinions are my own.

Do you know the difference between a penguin and a parrot? Do you know the similarities? Today's book is a fun book about an old pirate who thinks a penguin is a parrot. It is Pirate & Penguin by Mike Allegra and illustrated by Jenn Harney. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. Be sure to scroll down for the craft round-up and giveaway!

From the Publisher:

Pirate & Penguin Written by Mike Allegra & Illustrated by Jenn Harney

Ages 4+ | 32 Pages

Publisher: Page Street Kids (2023) | ISBN-13: 9781645677123

Publisher’s Book Summary: What happens when a pirate, hoping for a parrot, stumbles upon a bird of a duller plumage?

Pirate doesn’t know that Penguin is a penguin. But any bird can sit on a shoulder and squawk “shiver me timbers”…right?

Laugh along with Pirate and Penguin in this high seas tale of mistaken identity and find out whether they’ll find friendship before somebody walks the plank.

PURCHASE LINK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Allegra sailed into uncharted writing waters to create an all-dialogue story with an unexpected pirate character: a little dotty, well-meaning, and unusually patient (anyone would snap if a penguin trashed their ship and spit out their cracker). He’s written a number of other books for children, including Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles (Page Street Kids) and Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist (Sourcebooks). He also works as an editor and a creative writing teacher.

Visit his website at mikeallegra.com and say, "Ahoy!"

https://www.instagram.com/mikeallegrawriterfellow/

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Jenn Harney had a blast creating the art for this story because who doesn’t love pirates and penguins? Together at last! She’s illustrated many other children’s books, including Hornswoggled! (Page Street Kids), and even authored a couple as well. She lives in Ohio with her family and their corgi named Steve.

Visit her online at jkharney.blogspot.com.
https://www.instagram.com/jennharknee/
https://twitter.com/jennharknee

From Me:

This is a fun story that can be used in so many ways including just for fun. I imagine kids laughing at the pirate's craziness. The pirate is desperate for a parrot friend. When he finds a penguin, he is sure he has found his parrot friend and the bird just needs some help to be a normal parrot. He tries to change his color and get him talking as well as have him sit on his shoulder. Of course, the penguin is not a parrot and cannot be one.

The penguin however shows his new friend what he can do. Instead of talking he honks, and he goes fishing after walking the plank. The story is a fun one with wonderful illustrations. Kids will find it humorous and fun. It is a great read aloud book. It is definitely a book to check out!!

This book is a great one to talk about similarities and differences as well as mistaken identity. It is also a great book for a bird unit after all it teaches a bit about penguins and parrots. I think this could be a wonderful introduction to a bird unit or a comparing and contrasting unit. It would be fun to share some facts about both parrots and penguins.

Craft Round-Up:

To go with this fun book I made a match game so you can see if your kids know the differences between a penguin, parrot and pirate. You can download it here and then print two copies double sided on cardstock. Cut them out and have fun!

I also thought it would be fun to have some penguin crafts to make. I asked my fellow bloggers to share and they certainly did. Some of these penguin crafts are more winter and holiday themed but they could work in whatever background/theme you would like!