About This Book
Reach for this book when your child expresses feeling like they do not fit in or when they have been excluded from a group for being different. It is a soul-soothing choice for the child who marches to the beat of their own drum and needs to see that their unique 'song' is actually a gift. Through the story of a penguin who is blue instead of black and white, the book explores the pain of isolation and the transformative power of staying true to oneself. Petr Horacek uses stunning, textured illustrations to follow Blue Penguin as he is shunned by the colony. Rather than changing himself to fit in, he creates beautiful music that eventually builds a bridge of understanding. This is a gentle, lyrical story for preschoolers and early elementary students that validates the heavy feeling of being an outsider while providing a hopeful, harmonious resolution. It is a beautiful tool for teaching empathy and the value of neurodiversity or physical differences.
