A very polite and proper young boy goes to the aquarium with his father and comes home with a real penguin. He goes on many different adventures with his pet penguin. The illustrations show the interactions between him and his dad and his penguin while showing everything spoken inside of voice bubbles. The book shows a good father-son relationship and provides an adorable story about proper boy and his penguin friend. Buzzeo, Toni, Lily Malcom, and David Small. One Cool Friend. New York: Dial for Young Readers, 2012. This story was about a little, proper boy named Elliot and his father who brought him to the aquarium. Elliot was not like the other children at the aquarium though and, he went straight towards the penguins. He asked his father for a penguin and instead of buying the stuffed animal, he stole a live penguin. The rest of the story tells about Elliot keeping Magellan, his penguin, at his house. But what will happen when his father finds out?The theme of this story was like father, like son. Although Elliot may not seem like his father at all, in the end, they end up being very similar indeed.This book would be helpful in the classroom when learning about Arctic animals. This book teaches a little bit about some of the elements a penguin needs to survive. This book could be used to introduce a unit about the Arctic. It could also be used at home to talk about a new pet. Elliot must do research and find ways to accommodate for his new friend. This would be a good book to read at home maybe when considering getting a pet. The parent could talk through how Elliot became educated about his pet to help him survive. I think that would be a useful tool for talking about that topic.
What do You think about One Cool Friend (2012)?
Cute and clever storyline with fantastic illustrations that give hints to the punchline.
—swiftie13
Fun read aloud. Would be a good example of how to use "bubbles" for speech.
—Sara
I loved this book! It was so cute and adorable. It was also pretty clever.
—Felicia
What a fun story! I loved it. I found it in the little free library.
—Noir
