The Naked Penguin

The naked penguin is about a penguin who was different to all the others because he is all black and therefore does not have a patch of white. This leads the other penguins to leave him out of all the activities and leave him feeling all alone and alienated. After going away from the others he realises that it is okay to be different and goes home to rejoin the others and finds his happy ending.

This book contains a quest (as a lot of children's books seem to), but also discusses and introduces in a child friendly way the deeper themes of difference and alienation. The text is simple, containing only a few lines at most on the page and allowing the illustrations to compliment and enhance the story.

In a classroom this could be used as a starting point to discuss how everyone is different, but it is our differences that make us unique and add to our classroom community. It could also be used to show that when we alienate someone how we make them feel.