This story about a boy get specific with Santa is adorable! He really wants Osbert, but once he is living with a penguin he starts to rethink his decision, it's not easy for a little boy to spend so much time outside in the cold. ( )

This book is such a delightful read! In my opinion, the highlight of the book was the combination of the illustrations and child-like thought process present in the text. For instance, one page of the book portrays a letter that the main character wrote to Santa. Part of it states, “I feel like maybe I should have asked for a different present, and you want to swap, that would be OK.” Instead of simply telling Santa what he wants, the kind hearted and innocent main character adorably fails at hiding his true intentions. The text is heart-warming, but so are the illustrations, especially on the page where the main character is depicted with his messy morning hair, pajamas, and tongue sticking out in reaction to the gross pile of fish that Osbert, his pet penguin, enjoys eating. Overall, I enjoyed reading about a child who got what he asked for, learned that his wish was poorly planned, and learned to relinquish his treasured friend for the friend’s sake. Everything about this book was charming and heart filling; I would definitely include it in my future collection of ( )

43 months - Picked this one up for a new read this holiday. Beautifully illustrated and a good moral... Be realistic in what you ask Santa for for Christmas. ( )

Summary: A little boy has been disappointed with Santa's presents to him every year so this year, he decided to give Santa the exact specifics of what he wanted for Christmas. On Christmas morning, the boy went downstairs and saw the exact present he wanted sitting there. It was a penguin named Osbert. Osbert and the boy had very different tastes. Osbert wanted to play outside in the cold all day. When they got inside, Osbert wanted to take a cold bath and used way too much soap. To eat, the boy wanted chocolate chip waffles but Osbert wanted herring with seaweed for breakfast. While the boy was doing chores, Osbert was making a fort out of the frozen food and it melted into a huge puddle. After all of this, the boy writes another letter to Santa explaining that the present didnt turn out the way he expected and he would change if possible. A couple days later, Santa wrote back and sent passes to the Antarctic World at the zoo and a red sweater. The boy and Osbert walked all the way to the zoo. Once the got to the exhibit, Osbert fell in love with the way it was set up. There was herring, cold weather, snow and other penguins. At the end of the day, the boy knew he had to say goodbye to Osbert. Now the boy is lonely but still goes to visit Osbert at the zoo and always wears his red sweater so Osbert remembers him.

Argument: I really like this book. I thought it was a cute story about a Christmas wish and a boy. I think the main message I got out of this book was about doing the right thing. For both the boy and Osbert, sending him to the Antarctic exhibit in the zoo was the right thing to do. Keeping Osbert was too much for the boy to handle and Osbert was not fully happy either. Even though it was hard to say goodbye, it was necessary and made both of them happy. Another message is that every time Osbert does something different than what the boy wants to do the boy repeats "I had asked for Osbert, and now I had him. So we ____" This message shows that even if something isn't going exactly how it was planned, sometimes you have to stick with it. ( )

Be careful what you wish for and more importantly how you wish for it. A really sweet tale about a little boy and the real life penguin he asks Santa to bring him. ( )

This book is a lot of fun and has a very heartfelt twist since the child at its center makes a tough choice to do something in the best interest of his friend rather than to keep his friend, the penguin, at home with him. This is a beautiful book and I really enjoyed reading it with my students. ( )

Joe writes a letter to Santa every year but doesn't quite get exactly what he wants, so this year he made it clear that he wanted a penguin, Osbert. Osbert is too much to handle, and Joe is faced with a decision to do what is best for Osbert or, keep Osbert ti himself. ( )

A boy really, really, really wants a penguin for Christmas-a real penguin. Be careful what you ask for because he gets a real penguin and owning a penguin is not all it is cracked up to be. Lots of cold and herring, he writes Santa another letter, and Santa provides tickets to the opening of Antarctic world. The penguin is more at home their, so the little boy leaves him there. Very sweet and responsible boy. ( )

Fantasy: This is a great example of a fantasy picture book. The author sets up a believable story within the setting of the book, yet there are elements which are fanciful. The little boy in the story has a penguin friend which lives with him for awhile, and although the reader accepts it as true while reading it is unrealistic.
Art Media: watercolor, pastel and digital rendering
Appropriate Age: Primary ( )

A lesson in being specific. ( )

Awwww.
I have a friend who loves penguins. This one's for her. ( )