Penguins With People Problems, by Mary Laura Philpott

So at one point while at BEA I found myself in a random line by the Penguin bookmobile, and although I didn't mean to be lining up for another book, it was an enticing one--Penguins With People Problems (Perigee Books, June 2 2015)by Mary Laura Philpott.  Those of you who like to give books as presents-- this is a Great Book to give to those grownups in your life who are difficult to buy books for (as long as they are the sort of people who enjoy a chuckle, and if they aren't, why bother to get them anything?).  The recipient will pick it up soon after getting it, and enjoy flipping through the pages of penguins suffering various vicissitudes of daily life.

Although the simple yet expressive penguins make the book look cute and child friendly, the problems these penguins are having are rather grown up ones.  Some of them might well need a bit of awkward explaining to a person not yet at least a teenager, and some are pitched directly at adults, like this one  "Well, that didn't turn out at all like those bitches on Pinterest said it would."  And some spoke directly to my own life experiences:  "Halfway through changing clothes, Patty became trapped half-in and half-out of her dress, and now she fears she will die and be found this way."  That being said, my 12 year old son and I enjoyed looking at it together, and my mother also got several laughs out of it.   So like I said, a good one for quick and easy present giving!

Mary Laura Philpott is the creator of The RandomPenguins.com, where you can see lots of penguins, some with problems!  And she was kind enough to take the time to draw penguins for everyone in line.  Here is the penguin she drew for me: 

(Thank you, Ms. Philpott!  It is a lovely penguin.)