Einstein the Penguin, the brilliant and funny children’s debut by Iona Rangeley, has made The Big Issue‘s Kids’ Books of the Year 2021.

Jane Graham writes:

“There is a hint of Paddington in this charming story of a zoo penguin who takes a visiting family’s polite invitation to “come and stay whenever you like” very seriously. Sporting a backpack bearing the name Einstein, he shows up on the family’s doorstep that night, bashes into their home and messily helps himself to dinner.

It’s no surprise that Einstein’s presence gradually encourages his two primary school-aged hosts to overcome their insecurities and shyness. But this tale avoids the cloying sentimentality of many of its peers, never forgetting to be funny and showing the limits of animals’ behaviour rather than completely anthropomorphising them.”

Einstein the Penguin is out now. Grab your copy here or, better, via your local bookshop or Bookshop.org.

Follow Iona on Twitter @IonaRangeley.