The Penguin of Ilha Grande

Praise

A true and tender tale that celebrates the lasting bond that forms between a small penguin in dire straits and the man who rescued him.

One day in May, Seu João finds an oil-soaked Magellanic penguin on the beach at Praia Provetá and takes him home to clean him up. He assumes the bird won’t hesitate to return to the ocean, but even when fully recovered, Dindim, as he’s dubbed, has different ideas. The two—one a shin-high poppet clad in formal black and white in Alarcão’s pastel-hued illustrations, the other a light-skinned elder aglow with wrinkled benevolence—become constant companions…until, one hot day the following February, Dindim begins to molt and, around the time of Carnaval, doesn’t come back from his accustomed swim. But then, four months later, he waddles back out of the ocean to touch his bill to a delighted Seu João’s nose, and so continues an annual pattern that goes on for seven years. In group scenes the illustrator populates the warm and sandy Brazilian setting with multihued local children in animated poses and, though he portrays Dindim with plenty of personality, resists the temptation to anthropomorphize his feathered subject. Earle expands a closing note on the real Dindim with remarks about Magellanic penguins in general and environmental and other threats to them.

An episode with a strong sense of place awash in humor and heart. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

—Kirkus Reviews

Seu João lives on an island off the coast of Brazil. When an oil-soaked Magellanic penguin washes ashore, Seu João takes him home, cleans him with dish soap, and names him Dindim (a grandson’s attempt to pronounce the Portuguese word for penguin). As Dindim rehabilitates, the pair forms an attachment, though Seu João, respectful of the needs of wild animals, repeatedly tries to send Dindim back to the sea. Dindim does not leave—until one day, months later, he does. Earle’s account of this true story is skillfully restrained, describing only the actions of Seu João and Dindim, and leaving readers to infer what human and animal feel for each other. “Seu João sat and drank his coffee. His lap was empty. But he remembered Dindim’s silky feathers and the beat of his heart.” Four months later, when Dindim amazingly returns, “the penguin waddled as fast as his little legs could carry him, right into Seu João’s arms.” Alarcão’s pastel-colored illustrations capture the appeal of the people, animals, and beaches of Praia Provetá. In addition to a brief glossary, appended notes provide additional information about Seu João and Dindim, facts about penguins and threats to their survival, and steps that readers can take to help protect threatened species.

—The Horn Book