Iona Rangeley‘s stunning children’s debut, Einstein the Penguin, has been named the Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week.

In her review, Nicolette Jones said:

“This debut novel is a delight. Its wit and observation put it in the tradition of Eva Ibbotson and Hilary McKay as it tells the story of Einstein, a penguin who can read and write but not speak.

Like Paddington he places himself in the care of a London family. Nine-year-old Imogen (who aspires to be a detective) and six-year-old Arthur (who smuggles Einstein into school) and their kind parents feed them herrings with marmalade and help him find what he was looking for.

Full of unexpected phrases (such as “a bright, bossy sort of snow, with great big flakes that fell slowly and softly like the sky really meant them”) and illustrated with just the right degree of freedom and quirkiness by David Tazzyman, this is a real discovery.

Set at Christmas, it would be a joy to read aloud in the run-up.”

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

Follow Iona on Twitter @IonaRangeley.