🐧 20 Penguin Books for Preschoolers

Winter means the weather is starting to get colder. So it is the perfect time to read about chilly habitats and the creatures who live in them. So this list of the best penguin books for kids is full of fiction and nonfiction tales of penguins. Which of these penguin books for preschoolers will be your new favorite.

Penguin Books for Preschoolers

Help kids explore cute black and white penguins who live in the cold arctic area of the world, up in the North pole. These cute animal books are perfect for toddler, preschool, pre-k and kindergarten age children. This penguin activity is perfect for kids for a winter theme in January.

Penguin stories for preschoolers

If You Were a Penguin by Florence and Wendell Minor uses a simple text to teach little ones about penguins and what they do. The text is paired with beautiful illustrations of penguins and penguin families.

Five Flying Penguins by Barbara Barbieri McGrath and Stephanie Fizer Coleman is a cute rhyming book that counts up from 1 to 5, with colorful illustrations of little penguins that kids will love.

Penguins Love Colors by Sarah Aspinall explores colors along with six little penguins who want to paint a surprise for their mother who loves colors.

Where Is Home, Little Pip? by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman follows a baby penguin as she tries to find her way back home. She encounters other animals and learns about their homes, before eventually finding her way home.

I Can Fly by Fifi Kuo introduces readers to a little penguin who wants to know why he can’t fly. Will talking to his father give him the answers he wants?

A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis follows Edna the penguin as she goes on a quest to add color to the world, outside the white, black, and gray she is used to.

Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon shares the story of Penguin, who has grown tired of the wind and snow and wishes to visit a beach. He soon makes a friend who helps him to enjoy life in the sun, and realize that home isn’t so bad.

Penguin Books for Kids

Flight School by Lita Judge tells the story of a little penguin who is determined to learn how to fly. With the help of a friend, he may learn to make his dreams come true.

Blue Penguin by Petr Horacek is a story of friendship and acceptance told through a blue penguin born near the South Pole. Will he ever be accepted by the other penguins?

Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems by Judy Sierra, Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey is a book of poems that introduces the reader to life as an emperor penguin. The rhyming passages are paired with adorable penguin illustrations.

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger follows an odd penguin named Tacky whose behavior annoys his penguin friends, until one day when it helps him to save the day.

Grumpy Pants by Claire Messer explores the concept of shaking off a bad day through the story of grumpy Penguin. He tries all kinds of tricks to shake his grumpy feelings, eventually remembering that tomorrow will be another day.

Geronimo by David Walliams and Tony Ross teaches the reader about following dreams, through the journey of a little penguin named Geronimo who dreams of flying. With the help of his friends and family, can he make his dreams come true?

Books about penguins for preschoolers

Be Brave, Little Penguin by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees tells the story of a young penguin named Pip-Pip who is afraid to go into the water. Will he be able to overcome his fear and go into the water like his penguin friends?

Penguin Problems (Animal Problems) by Jory John and Lane Smith is a funny tale about a penguin who is unhappy with his life. He complains about the cold, the predators living around him, and life with tons of other penguins. But a friendly stranger will help him to see that life isn’t all bad.

Penguins Don’t Wear Sweaters! by Marikka Tamura and Daniel Rieley explores what happens when a group of humans attempt to help a group of penguins stricken by an oil spill. While the story is fiction, it is based on an actual story.

Nonfiction Books

National Geographic Readers: Hello, Penguin! by Kathryn Williams uses very simple text and full page photographs to introduce penguins and their lives to beginning readers.

Penguins by Jill Esbaum is an early nonfiction book for your readers. It uses simple text and brightly colored photographs to teach young ones about penguins.

10 Reasons to Love … a Penguin by Catherine Barr and Hanako Clulow lays out a list of 10 incredible facts about penguins. The detailed illustrations feature cute penguins and their families.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers shares the journey of a little boy who finds a lost penguin and decides to help him find his way home.

The Emperor’s Egg: Read and Wonder by Martin Jenkins and Jane Chapman introduces readers to emperor penguins and the way that emperor penguin parents care for their children.

Baby Penguin’s First Waddles (First Discoveries) by Ben Richmond shares the first few months of a baby penguin’s life through a simple text that kids can understand, and adorable photographs.

National Geographic Readers: Penguins! by Anne Schreiber is a fact-filled nonfiction guide to penguins with easy to understand text and large, clear photographs.

The Old Man and the Penguin: A True Story of True Friendship by Julie Abery and Pierre Pratt shares the true story of a man named João who found an oil soaked penguin and rescued him.

All About Penguins: Discover Life on Land and in the Sea by Dyan deNapoli is full of fun facts and interesting information about penguins, including the different types of penguins, where they live, and their life cycles.