An intrepid penguin decides to do what no penguin has ever done before set foot on the North Pole. It's only 12,436 miles away! Off he trudges, equipped with a heavy backpack, binoculars, and warm orange scarf. Hooray! At the top of the world, he throws confetti, turns cartwheels, and plants a "Penguin was here!" sign. When he fortuitously meets a friendly polar bear, the two go on adventures ploring, building ice forts, and watching whales. Soon Penguin's old friends arrive via hot-air balloon. Off they sail, deciding that the best part of having an adventure is arriving home again. Smiles all around. Endpapers have a map of Penguin's trek across the continents. The lovable Penguin's chunky persona exudes expressive emotion. Simple black outlines show icy scenery; a surprised, toothy polar bear; and the colorful, quilted hot-air balloon and dramatic blues and purples of the northern sky.

PreS-Gr 2 Yoon's latest entry in her series has the protagonist setting a goalto be the first penguin at the North Pole. Map in hand, pack on back, and his neck cozied with his signature orange scarf, Penguin sets off, but not before Yoon hints at the surprise ending by showing his penguin friends busy sewing, weaving, and braiding toward their own world records. As he makes his way north, Penguin enjoys visits with characters from his previous books and finally arrives at the top of the world. But after the initial excitement of meeting his goal, he finds the North Pole desolate and lonely, and with the appearance of a polar bear, maybe even dangerous. Their first anxious meeting becomes a sweet friendship until Penguin's busy friends appear to bring him home in a hot air balloon&30;the fruit of their earlier labors. The Photoshop drawings resemble woodcuts, outlined in heavy black and brightly colored. Yoon manages to create visual dynamism despite the illustrations' static simplicity by changing the page layouts to include spreads with horizon lines, framed tableaux, sequenced action, and thought bubbles. The simple narrative offers an opportunity for prediction and allows for text-to-self connections at a very basic level. VERDICT A solid addition to picture book collections. Lisa Lehmuller, East Providence School District, RI