LITTLE PENGUIN'S TALE, by Audrey Wood. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989. $13.95.
The penguin is one of nature's miracles in "bib and tucker." Their grace and rhythm in the water is a contrast to their seemingly hobbled gait on land.A year ago I was able to see the Fairy Penguin Parade at Phillip's Island on the lower point of Victoria Australia. Wrapped in coats, gloves and blankets, we waited for the appearance of the first tiny black-and-white bodies. After what seemed an interminably long time, the search lights on the beach caught the belly of the first penguin. Quickly it turned and went back into the depth of the black ocean.
We had been told this first was a messenger testing out the safety of the beach.
It was so. Within minutes many were seen waddling onto the shore. They followed tracks made from daily treks in the sand and crawled into fist-sized burrows in the brush. Then began the call - a mix between "caw" and "cluck," a deep-throated noise that reverberated into the water's edge. Slowly more penguins appeared, following unique signals that they recognized as their own.
Audrey Wood writes about this dynamic creature in "Little Penguin's Tale." The Grand Nannys of her story are the caretakers I saw on the beach of Australia, not necessarily the mother penguin, but one sibling who is in charge.
In Wood's humorous story, Little Penguin represents the errant and curious child who is typical throughout literature. Peter Rabbit was not obedient, and the curious and eternal child is seen in Barrie's "Peter Pan." The Prodigal Son and Max of the "Wild Things . . ." were all children who tested out their own ideas.
Parents - animals and human - have always remonstrated the child who ventures and takes risks. Little Penguin does it, too. He dances with gooney birds and sails away to the map cap Walrus Club where he becomes "the wildest of them all" as he tiptoes on a trapeze held by pink and gray elephant friends.
He could have had a disastrous end as dinner for a hungry whale had not the Grand Nanny changed her story.
A story is what "Little Penguin's Tale" is from beginning to end. With repetition, humor and carefully chosen rhythmic language the text could stand alone. Wood's illustrations, however, add a dimension to delight the youngest child who demands, "let me see!"
As for the background of the book, the author/illustrator has provided some interesting stories of her own:
Because Wood lives in Southern California, and snow is difficult to find and study for color, shading, etc., she built a three-dimensional model of the environment out of plaster of Paris to demonstrate the effects of shadows. She obtained a VIP pass to the San Diego's Sea World and, wearing a parka and snow boots, entered the Penguin Encounter exhibit.
"In one glorious hour I held a baby penguin in my arms, counted the three prehistoric-looking toes on a Macoroni penguin's foot, stroked a stately Emperor penguin's head and made numerous sketches."
What is the significance of the fruit baskets?
"Throughout the story the six little penguins who stay home with their granny are seen eating fruit from their baskets. When Little Penguin returns home from his daring adventures, his brothers and sisters present him with his own, untouched fruit basket. It was saved for him. Symbolically, the fruit basket represents their affection for Little Penguin and the comforts of home."
Why did you choose penguins for your main character?
"For years I had a photograph in my idea box that shows a nanny surrounded by a group of young penguins. I wrote a caption under the photo that says `Settle down now, children, it's storytime!'
"As a writer, the fact that penguins really do have nannies was irresistible. As an artist, I was attracted to penguins as walking pieces of graphic art."