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CM . . . . Volume XX Number 23 . . . . February 14, 2014
excerpt:
Never Let You Go is a simply lovely love letter from a parent penguin to its little one. Patricia Storms, noted for The Pirate and the Penguin picture book and Chirp magazine cartoons, has created yet another crowd pleaser.
Never Let You Go balances a parent's desire to keep children close with a gentle reminder to also let them chase the stars. As a mommy of two young girls, I know this picture book will find a comfy home on our shelf of favourites. I especially appreciated the last pages: the now not-so-little penguin runs to its friends, pauses, then comes back for one more hug. The story closes with a happy, independent penguin, playing in the snow. With less than ten words per page, it is easy to focus on Patricia Storms' cheery illustrations, a mix of India ink, charcoal, and digital colour. Take note of the sky as it changes from day to dusk to night where it explodes into the aurora australis – the South Pole's version of the aurora borealis. A perfect present for any new little penguin. Highly Recommended. Gwen Smid is a teacher and writer who lives vicariously through her sister's penguin adventures in Antarctica. Gwen has slept in an igloo on Lake Manitoba when it was -34C, and so she knows a thing or two about cold weather climates.
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The opening pages hold sweet phrases (see the above excerpt), but, before the story dips into too much sentiment, there are tongue-in-cheek reminders that we need to let our little ones go if they have to use the bathroom, or if they throw a temper tantrum, or if they need some quiet time. But Storms always takes us back to the fact that parents will never let their little ones go, even when they grow into not-so-little ones who run off with friends.