The King Penguin
by Vanessa Roeder
Buy on AmazonKing Penguin is off to find subjects who will listen to him—as long as they don’t eat him first, in this cheeky tale by beloved author-illustrator Vanessa Roeder Percival the King Penguin doesn’t think he’s asking for too much when he makes all the rules—he is a king after all. But he’s tired of the other penguins protesting, so he’s off to find subjects who are more obedient and supportive. But it won't be the seals. Or the whales. And definitely not the rude sardines. As Percival gets chased away by every new group of potential subjects, he’ll have to learn how to put his best flipper forward and live in a community, not a kingdom.
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"“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” Percival the penguin may not be Henry IV, but he is a king penguin, so he wears the crown, doesn’t he? In Vanessa Roeder’s charming and pun-filled picture book, Percival rules over his subjects with an iron wing (he takes all their fish for taxes!), and soon enough, they revolt. What’s a king penguin to do when he loses his subjects? Look for new ones, of course! But it turns out seals, polar bears and even sardines don’t want to put up with Percival’s haughtiness. Can Percival be a king penguin without being king? (For ages 3 to 5)"
NPR Books We Love — 2023 · apps.npr.org