Publisher: Published by Samantha Ahearne
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Pages: 36
Genre: Children’s Book


Star Review:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of Pete and Suzie and the Party Penguins by Samantha Ahearne thanks to NetGalley, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to experience this children’s story with my kids.

Pete and Suzie and the Party Penguins is a beautifully crafted picture book that invites readers to engage with being a little different from others but showing that being different isn’t always a bad thing. This story engages with Pete the Pelican and Suzie the Seagull who find out there will be Penguins at this years diving competition. Suzie, Pete and all their pelican and seagull friends have never met a penguin so they didn’t know what to expect. Not being able to fly was definitely not something they ever thought of when thinking of another bird. This causes for all the pelicans and seagulls to doubt a penguins ability to be in the Annual Diving Competition but much less dive period.

The illustrations by Julie Sneeden are an absolute standout. Each page is brought to life with expressive artwork that perfectly complements the tone and rhythm of the text. The visual storytelling deepens the emotional resonance of the book and will likely be a favorite feature for both children and the adults reading with them.

I especially appreciated how the book touches on affirmations, briefly, and that you cannot always judge a book by its cover — or rather a “bird by his feathers”, making it not only an enjoyable read but also a valuable tool for discussion and learning.

💬 Final Thoughts

Pete and Suzie and the Party Penguins is a cute story but my children, age 5 and 8, but had a hard time paying attention overall. They laughed at times and found Puffy to be extra cute, however, I don’t see them asking for me to read this to them in the future.

📖 Thank you again to Samantha Ahearne, Julie Sneeden, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A mess of a book with outstanding artwork! The story had good intentions with a great message to children about not judging others until they get to know them. Unfortunately, the author lost that intention in the presentation. The book rambled and never really got the message across successfully. Additionally, it seemed like the author had to add unrelated materials to the story (e.g.: what did yoga have to do with the story of a diving contest?) to make the book longer/ I felt it had no bearing on the story and interfered with the main story. While some children may enjoy the pictures, it would be a hard sell for parents reading the story to them to make sense of the story for the kids. However, the artwork was wonderful and bright, sure to delight any child. Sorry to say, but there are better children's books out there to get the same message across.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cute But Sadly Didn’t Hold Kids’ Attention

Overall: 3⭐
Plot/Lesson:° 3📍
Smiles: 3😁
Illustrations: 3 🖌️
Suggested Ages: 0 - 3 y/o

“Mom's” Review:
This was a pretty cute story, but something felt rushed or disjointed to me as the parent reading the story. There’s the start of some great bits in here - prejudice, prejudging, insecurity, etc. But some of those elements aren’t followed through upon. Some aren’t well addressed.

I can see the foundations of a great little learning book for kiddos (I’d say this would best reach littles under 4) but I don’t think it was the best executed.

The illustrations seemed copy-pasted throughout the story to the point where the same ‘poses’ for the various birds were repeated exactly multiple times. Yes, I understand birds don’t have the widest variety of poses, but when the exact same color, pose, leg lifted, expression, etc., repeats, even the kids notice and it visually doesn’t hold the attention of the littles who aren’t reading yet.

The exact same ‘derpy’ seagull showed up on multiple pages, which was fun for the kids to initially look for (had it been on every page ala “where’s Waldo” but it wasn’t, and when it was, it was the EXACT same image just slightly smaller, or flipped.)

“A” was able to read the whole story no problem, but at the same time, “A” is ready for early chapter books. “C” did want to see the [big reveal**] at the end over and over - that was sweet.

"A's" Review:^ I really liked when Puffy went POOF! And when everyone did [an activity**] together! The [surprise act by the penguins at the end**] was really silly! And Derpy The Seagull (her name!) was really funny! I looked for him on every page, but I don’t think he was always there.

"C's" Review:* The penguins were really fun! They’re like the penguins from Madagascar and I LOVE penguins! (Said as she cuddles a Emperor Penguin chick stuffy as big as she is)

Thank you to Samantha Ahearne & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
All opinions are our own.

° = Our Plot/Lesson rating is how well the kiddos picked up on the morals/lessons learned or well received the facts were.
^ = A, "Ready to Read" level 3, voracious reader
* = C, learning her letters, but memorizes stories well!

** There are a few little Plot Reveals that I edited to a [generic description in brackets] to keep the surprise. :)
NOTE: I paraphrase the kids’ opinions 90% of the time, but will call out their direct quotes.

This is a cute story about a diving contest between the sea birds and the penguins. Can you guess who wins? The main themes of the story are about friendship and accepting others different than yourself. The punny theme is: You cannot judge a bird by its feathers. The story was a little cheesy, but I loved the illustrations. My favorites were the funny faces on the seagulls. This would be a good book to read with toddlers or preschoolers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I read this with my 8 year olds and they really enjoyed it. They love animals and birds so really enjoyed seeing the different types of birds interacting in this book. The illustrations were great and really brought the story to life. I really enjoyed the positive message this story gave about not judging people and being friends with everyone.

Oh, how I truly enjoyed this book! Thank you NetGalley and Orion for this ARC of Pete and Suzie and the Party Penguins.
It’s such a cute story by Samantha Ahearne with a positive message regarding inclusion, diversity and fun competition.
The illustrations by Julie Sneeden are beautiful and colourful. That makes the reading experience so much fun.
This is a book that I will highly recommend.

In this story, seagulls and pelicans learn to not judge their fellow birds (penguins) by their differences. I appreciated the message and lesson, but felt like the story was a little disjointed. It jumped around a bit too much for me: Yoga! Diving! Party hats!

My five year old liked the penguin character, Puffy, and the illustrations.

This was a cute little message! A bit all over the place though. My kids loved Puffy! They also loved the pictures. Especially when the penguins were dressed up as party penguins! Great job

Thanks to NetGalley, Samantha Ahearne and Orion for the chance to read this early!

This was a book filled with awesome illustrations by Julie Sneeden! Any child who has this book read to them or reads on their own will love the illustrations. The idea of the book was a good one to give children a good lesson in life to not judge people by their looks. The story was flat and rambling to the point parents may have a hard time connecting the lesson to the story for their children.
Thank you NetGalley, Samantha Ahearne and Orion for the copy of Pete and Suzie and the Party Penguins. This is my personal review.


,

Pete, Suzie, and their friends were getting ready for the diving competition and heard that penguins would also compete. They watched the sky for the penguins until they found out that penguins can't fly. Say what? Then they met the penguins and learned why they were called the Party Penguins!
Good fun, good story, good lessons learned.
The illustrations by Julie Sneeden are simple, imaginative and FUN with the added benefit of using brilliant colors. Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital Galley on Thorium PDF from Orion via NetGalley.
#PeteandSuzieandthePartyPenguins by @samahearneauthor and @juliesneedenstudio @orionbooks @ibpalovesindies #peteandsuzie #kindnessmatters #acceptance #weareallthesame #picturebook @childrensbookcouncil @goodreads #picturebookart #kidlit #illustration #childrensbooks #imagination #bookbub

The illustrations are irresistibly cute, bringing the playful penguins and the children's adventure to life with color and warmth. The story is lighthearted and fun, but it also offers a meaningful takeaway about open-mindedness and understanding. Perfect for young readers, this book is both entertaining and thoughtful—a sweet reminder that first impressions don’t always tell the whole story.

A cute story about penguins who join in a competition. I enjoyed the illustrations and clearly describe what is happening in the story. However, the story itself is very meandering and does not have a clear progression. I am confused about the addition of yoga and the actual diving of the penguins did not have a narrative "punch". This may also be caused by not being able to read the text, at least on E-format, as half the text was white on a white background. Overall, it has the ability to be an interesting and thoughtful story about outsiders becoming friends, however it is too confusing and does not stick the landing.

This is a cute story with a good lesson in it for children. I did feel like some of the details weren’t necessary or didn’t add to the story, like yoga for example. I’m not sure why it was included. Unless there’s something I don’t know about birds and yoga! Could be cool if there was more hidden information in the story (like how they mentioned the penguins walked there because they can’t fly).

While the message to not judge a bird by its feathers is a good one, and the imagery is beautiful and wildly fun, the yet itself lacks any grace. The message is conveyed in a rather stark bland manner, including no flare, rhyme, or art to it. Could be better. Certainly fun to flip through the pictures for a young penguin lover, but nothing to write home about.

Who's the best at diving? The other birds are skeptical when they find out penguins are coming to show off their skills. Penguins can't even fly, how can they dive? But of course it's a lesson in not making up your mind about something before you see it, because the penguins were great at diving and great new friends. This was adorable.

My son and I loved this book! Penguins doing yoga and putting on a great show?! Yes please! The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the story is super cute. A great read!

Cute illustrations and story. The mix of yoga and diving without delineation was a little rough but still cute.

The premise of this book looked cute but I have to say it is just not my cup of tea. I think there is just too much unnecessary details in the book that make it read clunky. Also the illustrations just look a little off to me as well.

Great message for kids of believing in yourself and not judging groups by the way they look or your lack of knowledge. The main issue I have with this book is issues with accessibility. Many of the pages have white text on white or very pale pink backgrounds to the point where it is impossible to see. Also, the writing is tiny so if this is meant for children, i don't see how they'd be able to easily read this on their own.

This is a cute story about reserving judgment with bright and colorful illustrations. Kids will pick up some fun facts about birds and learn about differing perspectives and meanings as they read.