Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A penguin longs to fly.A half-hatched penguin peers out from his cracked-open egg on the title page, sharing his first view of the world with readers on the following double-page spread. The shell's hole faces upward, so Gilbert sees only sky. "The moon glowed. The stars sparkled. The birds wheeled." Gilbert's enamored. He needs to fly. But…he's a penguin. "[T]he storm petrels, the shearwaters, and the wandering albatross" soar "Up Up Up," those three words marching upward on the page. Gilbert, in contrast, flaps, waddles, slips, spins, and tumbles. The harder he tries, the more he falls, and the more renditions of him appear, emphasizing his failure—even 19 at once. He looks like he's dancing across the spread, but dancing isn't his goal. Family is unhelpful: "Give it up, Gilbert," and, "You're a penguin, not a goose," Uncle Crabstack and Aunt Anchovy say quellingly. Gilbert is undeterred. Trudging up a rocky, snowy height, he watches the albatross soar away "over the sparkling ocean." He jumps to follow—and inadvertently finds his heart's desire: the penguin version of flying, which is underwater and, it turns out, equally glorious. With masterful composition and scale changes, Bentley creates a white and gently patterned icy world where flying birds wing in elegance both near and far. He renders Gilbert's fluffiness brilliantly in watercolor and pencil—Gilbert appears soft, not wet—while giving adult penguins sleek edges and flying birds a fine delicacy.Like Gilbert, this soars. (Picture book. 3-6)

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A penguin longs to fly.A half-hatched penguin peers out from his cracked-open egg on the title page, sharing his first view of the world with readers on the following double-page spread. The shell's hole faces upward, so Gilbert sees only sky. "The moon glowed. The stars sparkled. The birds wheeled." Gilbert's enamored. He needs to fly. But…he's a penguin. "[T]he storm petrels, the shearwaters, and the wandering albatross" soar "Up Up Up," those three words marching upward on the page. Gilbert, in contrast, flaps, waddles, slips, spins, and tumbles. The harder he tries, the more he falls, and the more renditions of him appear, emphasizing his failure—even 19 at once. He looks like he's dancing across the spread, but dancing isn't his goal. Family is unhelpful: "Give it up, Gilbert," and, "You're a penguin, not a goose," Uncle Crabstack and Aunt Anchovy say quellingly. Gilbert is undeterred. Trudging up a rocky, snowy height, he watches the albatross soar away "over the sparkling ocean." He jumps to follow—and inadvertently finds his heart's desire: the penguin version of flying, which is underwater and, it turns out, equally glorious. With masterful composition and scale changes, Bentley creates a white and gently patterned icy world where flying birds wing in elegance both near and far. He renders Gilbert's fluffiness brilliantly in watercolor and pencil—Gilbert appears soft, not wet—while giving adult penguins sleek edges and flying birds a fine delicacy.Like Gilbert, this soars. (Picture book. 3-6)

Horn Book

This Australian import opens with baby penguin Gilbert's magnificent view of a seabird-filled sky. As he grows, Gilbert makes repeated efforts to soar, without success. The illustrations of soaring seabirds, snowy vistas, and underwater landscapes are splendid. Cleverly, the text plays with the story's premise: "up up up" at the opening is followed by "down down down" as Gilbert discovers the breathtaking "second sky" under the waves.

ALA Booklist (Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Even before Gilbert is fully hatched, he gazes up from within his egg at the birds wheeling in the night sky and knows that he wants to fly. As a chick, he watches the storm petrels and shearwaters overhead, then looks down (little fluffy wings, big clumsy feet) and knows he's not ready. What's more, as Aunt Anchovy helpfully points out, "You're a penguin, not a goose." Still, he's a penguin with a dream. He climbs to a peak above the ocean, jumps off, and tumbles into the water. Opening his eyes, Gilbert discovers a new world underwater, where he gracefully glides, dives, and flies as he was born to do. Anyone who's felt like a misfit will rejoice to see this intrepid little penguin in his element at last. Shortlisted for Australia's 2018 Early Childhood Book of the Year award, this picture book offers a sympathetic main character, a good story, and a satisfying ending. Color is used sparingly but effectively in the expressive artwork. A good addition to penguin-themed classroom units and storytimes.