Penguin and the Cupcake.

Penguin, living in Antarctica, is bored of eating only fish and has heard of the fabled cupcake in the Northern Hemisphere. Boarding a plane to locate this delicacy, he somehow lands in the Arctic! There he meets the locals Walrus and Polar Bear, who to Penguin’s chagrin cannot supply a cupcake. Defeated, the bird boards the plane home. In a lucky turn of events, the lady sitting next to Penguin offers him the delicious cake. Penguin returns triumphant.

Spires first book, while humorous, struggles to deliver its intended message. The many themes of environment, healthy eating, and body image are not expressed through the story, but rather in notebook-style side notes. For example, after supplying factually suspect information about Walrus’s diet, Spires lectures the reader by writing in the side notes that Walrus was trying to “meet an unrealistic physical ideal. All she really needed to do was love herself.” Young audiences may not understand the complexity of these issues as Spires presents them. These serious side notes conflict with the humour and delight that comes from Penguin’s search, though Spires is obviously a talented illustrator and potential author. Her direct communication with her reader and comic book style layout, reminiscent of Willem’s Pigeon, makes Penguin a beloved character. All her characters, real-life finger puppets available online, are great starting points for amazing adventures. Unfortunately, the vacant story read without the side notes supplies incorrect information, and while fun, would not be a first choice for group reading or one on one.

Not recommended