Pink!

Submitted by Ms. Tess!
I am completely charmed by Pink! a story by Lynne Rickards, with pictures by Margaret Chamberlain. It’s the tale of Patrick, a penguin, who wakes up one morning to discover he’s turned pink. Of course, he’s quite alarmed by this. Whoever heard of a pink penguin? His mother sends him to the doctor, but the doctor can’t explain why Patrick is pink. You could be green if you were feeling sick. Or blue if you were very cold. But pink? He’ll just have to get used to it. But “boys can’t be pink” Patrick insists. Patrick’s dad shows him a book of birds including flamingos, and informs him boys can be pink! Patrick is slightly re-assured, but when he goes to school the next day he is mercilessly teased for being pink! He decides to pack it up and move to Africa to be with the flamingos. He swims all the way there! When he arrives, the flamingos are friendly enough, but Patrick still doesn’t quite fit it in. He realizes he belongs with the other penguins at the south pole, so he swims all the way home. When he gets there, his parents and schoolmates are so happy to see him! They ask him about his travels and rejoice in his homecoming. Eventually everyone gets used to Patrick being pink, and no one teases him anymore. This is a wonderful book to teach children that being different is OK, and to not be ashamed of anything that makes them stand out in a crowd. See this book listed in our catalog