ALA Booklist (Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Far away at the South Pole, a new, blue penguin hatches. Although he feels and acts like an ordinary penguin, Blue Penguin's color marks him as different, and the others in his colony shun him. To cope with his loneliness, the young sea bird begins to sing a song about a white whale, and eventually his beautiful music helps him make friends with Little Penguin and gain the acceptance of the other penguins. Horácek's simple story of an outsider earning group approval will resonate with readers, especially those who have themselves experienced ostracism. The mixed-media illustrations brim with hopeful colors (especially icy blues, but also vivid greens and a bright red sun) that reassure readers that all will eventually be well. The uncluttered compositions are full of simple, texture-filled shapes, which add depth and interest to the art. Most important, Blue Penguin never complains about his situation; instead, he finds his own path to happiness and succeeds because of his positive attitude.

Kirkus Reviews

Shunned by the other penguins, the titular penguin's days are filled with loneliness and his nights with dreams."Far away, near the South Pole," a blue penguin hatches, "not something you see every day." The other penguins decide that he's "not like us" and wander away. Blue Penguin is left all alone. His days are "filled with emptiness," but he dreams at night of being rescued from loneliness by a beautiful white whale. Blue Penguin makes up a song about the whale and sings it every morning, attracting the attention of a little black-and-white penguin. She asks him to teach it to her. The duo plays together, and each day Blue Penguin teaches her more of the song. When Blue Penguin begins teaching Little Penguin a new song, it's "so magical" that all the other penguins come close and ask to learn it. As they gather round, who should come up but the white whale, summoned by the song; but now that Blue Penguin has friends, he no longer needs rescue. Though children may struggle to understand its metaphor, at its most basic level, the message of Horácek's timeless story of friendship and community is clear. Its elliptical telling suits the mixed-media illustrations, which emphasize Blue Penguin's loneliness and isolation with broad swathes of highly textured whites and introduce color as much as the Antarctic landscape allows as friendship develops. Sweet. (Picture book. 3-5)

School Library Journal (Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

PreS-Gr 2 Blue Penguin feels and acts like a real penguin, but he isn't black-and-white like all the others, and for this reason, he's ostracized. At night, he dreams of rescue by a beautiful white whale, and each morning, he sings to the whale across the ocean. This catches the attention of a little girl penguin, who ventures close, asking to play and learn his song. His lonely days are over. Meanwhile, Blue Penguin is unaware that his song is magically calling the whale to him. Hora&9;ek cleverly represents this concept with an image of the white whale like a shadow across the moon. Richly hued blues and greens create an enchanting polar landscape, with splashes of white forming snowy scenes that are sometimes reminiscent of those in Eric Carle's Dream Snow . Paintings that have been cut and pieced back together add dimension. An occasional image of a red-orange sun grows larger as the book progresses, until eventually it completely fills the horizon. VERDICT This gorgeously illustrated story about the ups and downs of being different and the magic of music is recommended for most collections and is a good choice for a storytime about penguins or friendship. Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Because he's a different color, Blue Penguin is isolated from the other penguins. He sings a song to a whale he dreams will "take me away," but the song attracts the friendship of other penguins. When the whale comes, Blue Penguin no longer wants to leave. Any uplifting message intended is muddled by the fantastical elements. Horaček's icy-toned illustrations are rendered with chunky, textured strokes.