I love these photos we took of Ned and I really wanted to share the book that he is enjoying. It’s called Brave Little Penguin by Australian author/illustrator Anna Pignataro and I bought it for Ned - my brave little penguin - and his dad on father’s day this year.

This little picture book is stunning, it is cloth bound with the title and stars embossed in silver dancing across the cover. The endpapers are a divine dusty blue with the little sketched penguin in white tumbling around.

I have always loved Anna’s illustrations but there is something really whimsical and loveable about these little penguins in particular; they have so much personality and convey so much emotion.  For a small picture book Anna really doesn’t let any space go to waste, she captures the immensity of the icy landscape and the rolling sea perfectly on the smaller pages.

The text is very simple, just a few words per page but that’s all that’s needed to tell the gorgeous story of a papa penguin and his little penguin. Anna’s description is beautifully lyrical, the penguins live “in a white peppermint world“, be “back before the moon” calls little penguin when papa goes looking for food. Little penguin has to keep himself busy while papa is away and is overjoyed when papa returns. It is such a perfect story of reassurance, love and comfort. Ned is sometimes upset when daddy heads off for work but he knows that like papa penguin, he will be back.

This fantastic little book was published earlier this year and is actually a companion to Anna Pignataro’s 2006 picture book called Always. Always is also cloth bound but is embossed in gold on the jacket. This is a mummy story and is also beautiful. The characters in this book are bears, baby bear Oli and his mamma. Oli questions his mamma, “Mamma, how long will you love me?” “‘Always,’ Mamma smiled.” Once again the theme of the story is reassurance; reassurance of mamma’s love for her baby and a lovely tale for bedtime.

These lovely books are $15.00 each in Australia, which I think is just a bargain for what spectacular productions they are.