The true story behind it
This one came straight from my own house. My son had swim class, and he dreaded it. Water would get up his nose and it hurt, so he begged me to send notes asking the teacher to skip him. I gently explained that holding your breath underwater is just part of learning to swim. Around then I wrote Penny, a penguin too scared to try her big snowboard trick again, until Kitty and Dino help her do it. He asked for that story again and again. About a year later, in the bath, he told me he could finally go under without holding his nose. Swimming is his favorite class now.
What happens in the story
Snow starts falling in Kitty and Dino’s forest before winter has even come, so they follow the snowflakes up a mountain they’ve never seen. Halfway up they find Penny, a little penguin on a snowboard with tears frozen on her cheeks. She got scared in the middle of a trick called the Triple Loop and crashed, and since then her snow magic won’t stop. Kitty’s warm breeze and Dino’s heat only make more snow, until Dino works out that Penny’s magic follows her feelings. So they go slowly. Kitty shapes a slope with small jumps, and Dino grows soft bushes on both sides to catch her. A slow ride first, then a small jump, then the whole Triple Loop. Nobody pushes her. When she lands it, the storm stops, and the snow falls only where she wants it. A quiet story about the hardest moment of all, the one right before you try.
Looking for a children’s book about penguins?
Penguin books tend to be about cold places and waddling. Penny’s is about the moment just before you do something frightening. She’s scared to try her big trick again, and two friends stay beside her until she can.
It came from my own son, who begged to skip swimming lessons for the better part of a year because water kept going up his nose. I read him this story more times than I can count. About a year later, in the bath, he told me he could finally go under without holding his nose. If your child loves penguins and is also working up to something hard, that combination is the whole point of this one. Ages 3 to 8.
Look inside
Flip through the opening pages of the book.
Perfect for
- ✓ The kid who’s scared to try again after a fall or a fright
- ✓ Swim lessons, bike wobbles, first days, anything that needs a deep breath
- ✓ A birthday or bedtime gift with a gentle dose of courage
- ✓ Showing that brave doesn’t mean unafraid, just trying anyway
Quick answers
Give a kid a little courage for the next big jump
One short story. One brave little penguin. Ready for tonight.
Choosing a gift? See our Book Gifts guide for ages 3–8 →