Children’s Books about Penguins

Does your child love all things penguins? Here are my favorite children’s books about penguins, from non-fiction to picture books.

Children's Books about PenguinsOne of the first picture books my eldest son received as a gift was from a good friend of mine—all about a little penguin overcoming his fear of jumping in the water.

By the time he was a toddler, this book was so tattered with pages falling out from reading it so much.

Since then, we’ve also read about penguins trying not to hiccup, penguins who don’t want to wear tutus, and nonfiction books sharing interesting facts about this unique bird.

It wasn’t until after the zillionth book about penguins that I realized, Gosh, we read a lot about penguins around here.

You’ve got to hand it to penguins, though—they’re pretty intriguing animals. It’s fascinating to learn about the way the male Emperor penguin carries the egg throughout the most brutal weather as they wait for their mate. The colorful plumes on top of the Macaroni Penguin are always a hit with the kids. (And they’re called Macaroni!)

They’re the birds that can’t fly an inch off the ground but can swim like no other. Even their black and white colors—and why they’re black and white (hint: it’s all about camouflage)—are enough to draw any child’s interest.

My twins even came home from preschool with—you guessed it—these penguin crafts:

Penguin arts and crafts

If your child is as enamored with this wonderfully peculiar and odd bird, dive into these favorite penguin books:

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Children’s books about penguins

Baby Penguins Love their Mama by Melissa Guion

Baby Penguins Love their Mama by Melissa Guion

Parker the Purple Penguin by Marybeth Wishart

Parker the Purple Penguin by Marybeth Wishart

The Second Sky by Patrick Guest

The Second Sky by Patrick Guest

Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant

Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant

Little Penguin's Tale by Audrey Wood

Little Penguin’s Tale by Audrey Wood

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

Ella and Penguin: A Perfect Match by Megan Maynor

Ella and Penguin by Megan Maynor

The Emperor's Egg by Martin Jenkins

The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley

Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley

If You Were A Penguin by Florence Minor

If You Were A Penguin by Wendell and Florence Minor

Penguin In Peril by Helen Hancocks

Penguin In Peril by Helen Hancocks

Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica by Jonathan London

Little Penguin by Jonathan London

Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez

Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

What's in the Egg, Little Pip? by Karma Wilson

What’s in the Egg, Little Pip? by Karma Wilson

Penguin Problems by Jory John

Penguin Problems by Jory John and Lane Smith

Penguin Says Please by  Michael Dahl

Penguin Says “Please” by  Michael Dahl

Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon

Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

Little Penguin and the Lollipop by Tadgh Bentley

Little Penguin and the Lollipop by Tadgh Bentley

Penguin Chick by Betty Tatham

Penguin Chick by Betty Tatham

March of the Penguins by Luc Jacquet

March of the Penguins by Luc Jacquet

National Geographic Kids: Penguins by Anne Schreiber

National Geographic Penguins by Anne Schreiber

Pierre the Penguin: A True Story by Jean Marzollo

Pierre the Penguin by Jean Marzollo

Penguins! by Gail Gibbons

Penguins! by Gail Gibbons

Free resources: Want even more book ideas? Join my newsletter and grab the Read Aloud Book List! You’ll get hundreds of favorite selections to check out with your young reader. Get it below—at no cost to you:

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