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.


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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.

Pete and Suzie and the Party Penguins is a charming children's picture book that imaginatively explains how birds (similar to people) cannot be judged by appearances and preconceived labels and expectations. The penguins in this book have been invited to a special diving competition so they can prove what excellent and gifted divers they are. Initially, the pelicans and seagulls are startled and surprised. These birds of flight can scarcely imagine how birds such as penguins, birds who have no aerodynamic prowess, can be compared as excellent divers in a category along with birds which can so exquisitely and gracefully dive from midflight into the depths of the ocean. However, the penguins quickly prove that they can dive and swim just as proficiently as the fish of the ocean.

Samantha Ahearne shows a passion for birds and wildlife through this children's book. Children will love the artwork of the illustrator as she works at providing illustrations to match this delightful prose. Their teamwork helps deliver a powerful message-- stereotypes can easily be dismissed as we continually learn of the wonderful gifts and abilities of new characters we discover and meet either through books we read or people we encounter and befriend.

This book taught a good lesson about not judging others by how they look. The illustrations were colorful and engaging.

Our penguin loving kiddo loved this book.

Seagulls and pelicans are having their diving contest and this year the penguins are invited. None of the birds know what a penguin is and they are curious about this bird.

This story subtly teaches readers what makes penguins different from other birds. It also teaches readers not to judge based off looks.

The illustrations are beautiful and fit the storyline.

We will be reading this book again.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This is a really good book! I love all of the elements of this story that make it so unique. I mean, sea birds and yoga? It takes a certain amount of creativity to come up with that and be able to weave it so well in a kids' book. Additionally, every character had a distinct personality, which made this book a lot of fun. The message also made a lot of sense, and is a perfect moral to put in a kids' book. It's also very impressive how the author managed to surprise the reader with the moral; I didn't even see it coming! Lastly, the illustrations were phenomenal! There was a wild amount of detail packed into each picture, making for a truly immersive reading experience. Readers will be able to feel the stagefright before the contest but also the awe and excitement during and after the show. Bravo!!

The illustrations are great in this book and it was a great read for my boys, who are all obsessed with penguins. I would have liked more of a coherent story, but it was good nonetheless