Your Personal Penguin

by Sandra Boynton

I want to be your PERSONAL PENGUIN from now on!
Your Personal Penguin is an irrepressible, read-aloud, listen-along favorite for young children and the grown-ups who read to them. Fun to hold, the book tells the story of a slightly bewildered hippo and the loyal penguin who wants nothing more than to be his

Now, lots of other penguins seem to be fine
in a universe of nothing but ice.
But if I could be yours, and you could be mine,
Our cozy little world would be twice as nice.
I want to be Your Personal Penguin.

The original song "Your Personal Penguin," sung by Davy Jones of The Monkees, is available for download.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Animals, Music, Storytime

24 pages, Board book

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Sandra Keith Boynton is an American humorist, songwriter, director, music producer, children's author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated over eighty-five books for children and seven general audience books, as well as over four thousand greeting cards, and seven music albums. She has also designed calendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys for various companies.

Reviews

[Archit]

My wife just can't stop singing it to her husband. :D

Teamed up with the tone that it is so beautifully sung, the lyrics make it one of those rhymes that get stuck in your mind.

The twisting and turning lines are cute to say the very least.

Simple verses, profound memories.

[Book Riot Community]

Book Riot’s Best Children’s Books of the Century (So Far):

Sandra Boynton has won many awards, including the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cartoonists Society. Her focus is board books, and they appeal to babies and older children alike. Her stories always have such good humor interwoven throughout, along with fun rhyme schemes that can also be sung along to. While I’ve read nearly all of Boynton’s works to my son, this one is our favorite, and it won the National Parenting Publications Gold Medal. It stars a penguin who aspires to be a hippo’s best friend. Davy Jones from the Monkees also sings this book as a song, and it is the most catchy and charming thing ever.

- Megan Mabee

[Kaethe]

17 October 2010

It's been a long time since I walked through a bookstore and browsed. The KitKatPandaBatWolf wanted to look at this with me. Ah, Boynton! We still love you, and your charming little (and big) animals, and the cute pajamas. I haven't yet listened to the song recorded by Davy Jones (of the Monkees! squee!), but I will.

Maybe one never outgrows adorable board books?

***
10 September 2023

I bookmarked the song on YouTube. Happy sigh.

[Naomi Saucke]

I waited a long time to read this one. I saw it featured on the back of another SB book and was intrigued. Mom and I had no luck finding it at the library or book store. Eventually someone showed up to our house and threw it at the door. I followed suit and threw the book during my first reading. That was exciting! Contrary to recent actions, I still enjoyed it. The drawings are cute and story is light and easy. Four stars for using the word personal too many times.

[Christia Katz Mulvey]

This is one of the books I read all.the.time to my wee bitty boy. Boynton's books generally have a wonderful sense of whimsy and wistfulness that make them excellent to read (over and over).

That being said, I haven't learned the song accompaniment because I always sing it to the tune of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," which seems thematically fitting to the Penguin's serious boundary issues with Hippo. I usually end the tale by hypothesizing that Hippo might perhaps tell Penguin that they can be friends, but that it would be healthier for everyone involved if Penguin also had his own life and some other friends too.

[Connie]

Basically, a short book about a penguin explaining his undying (kinda stalkerish, I must say) affection for a hippo.

Throughout the book, the hippo looks totally dumbstruck by all this attention.

If you're coming at it from a different angle, I guess it might be kinda creepy (the scene with the penguin shining a flashlight at the sleeping hippo comes to mind), but as my nieces know this is Not Really Appropriate Behaviour that just, to them, makes it funnier.

Found the song (downloadable... somewhere) to be a little uninspired though. *shrugs*

[Lacy | literary_lacy]

We just love the Sandra Boynton books with accompanying songs. They are so much fun, and really bring the story to life.

This book was another enjoyable read with a cute song sung by Davy Jones! It’s catchy and gets stuck in your head, and my daughter loves dancing to it.

This book is short, and pretty cute, but would definitely not be as good without the song to listen along to.

Definitely check out Boynton’s musical books.

[Elizabeth]

#ReadToNibling

I had never heard the Monkees song, so my initial impression was that the song didn't have the easy fun rhythm I've come to expect from Sandra Boynton books (and no, it doesn't really work to use the tune of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus").

[Ronan Crutchfield]

Im beginning to think Sandra Boynton can’t miss. I love all her books!

[Pink]

Look at these wings
so perfect to hold you

[Samantha Penrose]

A sweet, simple story that rivals our old Boynton favorite "snuggle puppy". The story is all about how much better things are when we are together. I love the page that says "I want to travel with you far and wide"...there is a drawing (same style as all Boynton books) of the hippo and the penguin in a hot air balloon with a real life photograph (a little blurry) of mountain tops and clouds in the background.
With Snuggle Puppy, we never heard the song...I made up my own tune for it. I tried to download the penguin song and only got 17 seconds worth.
I just read the book, no singing. (But when I am done reading, I walk around the house singing my own personal penguin song to the tune of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus"!!)
***your own, personal, penguin. someone to be by your side, and look when you hide ---do do dododdodo......your own, personal, penguin. someone there to give you a hug, or step on a bug -----do do dododooo.****

[Michelle Gray]

I love this book! I have a copy of it at home! :)

Read this to Rose for the first time 8/21/2015. So many baby smiles!

[Amy Camp]

If this was printed as a full size picture book I would read it at storytime every week

[Kate M. Colby]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library, as part of our quest to read all the Sandra Boynton books.

The first time I tried to read it, he was grumpy and not interested. Tonight, he asked me to read it after I read the Pookie book. He seemed to enjoy the penguin and especially the page with the hot air balloon, because we used to see those in Ashland.

Side note: Dada and I looked up the song that goes with the book and it is pretty cute.

[Lil Old Bookworm]

We just adore Sandra Boynton! This book is about a penguin who just wants to hang around with his hippo friend. There is a song download so you can find out the "correct" way to sing, but I just enjoy coming up with my own little tune and my daughter laughs along while enjoying the charming illustrations.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase]]

Your Personal Penguin is from a song and the illustrated book is sure to delight little ones with this adorable board book. The illustrations are well done and convey the message and the overall theme of a Penguin and Hippopotamus is sure to cause a giggle or two.

Thank you Simon Kids for gifting me a copy to review.

[Satchel]

With any of these books that are also songs by Sandra Boynton, I find it impossible to read the book without first hearing the song. In which case, I also feel like I am rating the song when I form my opinions. I really liked this song and found the tune easy to sing when I would read the book, definitely a hit for my baby and the song lives on our car playlist also.

[Emily]

My family loves this book. It's definitely a sing-along book with everyone singing, including the two year old. There should be a read and re-read bookshelf/tag option and this book definitely belongs there.

[Katie]

Points for weirdness.
The kids' grandpa reading this to them= hysterical.
A little desperate, stalkerish, and one-sided, on the part of the penguin.
Sad if you overthink it and wonder if you or your kid is the penguin in this scenario and if they will respond more enthusiastically to you than the hippo does, once they're grown.

[AFP]

A's FAVORITE book to make Daddy read, because obviously, he is her personal penguin. Some other penguins think it's nice, to stay in the winter, cold and ice. But for this personal penguin, it's much nicer to be with his best friend.

[Christina]

Since my book was missing the information about the song and I completely missed the whimsical story that Boynton usually brings. Without the song I’m not sure the story has the same rhythm her stories usually have. I’m disappointed that my copy had no information about this.

[Erika]

This is my favourite Boynton book. I've known it by heart for what feels like forever (2009). Personal Penguin is fun, sing songy, and heartfelt. I like the illustrations. It never gets tiresome reading over and over and over to my littles.

[Andrés]

I don't like stalker-ish or personal-assistant-ish vibes of this one. How did the penguin find the hippopotamus? Why doesn't he want to live with other penguins? Does he miss them? I listened to the song a bit, too. Didn't improve the experience.

[Kitty]

I think this book is sorta meh, it's not a rollicking book rhyme scheme but more song lyrics. But Lars loves it. It's his first book that's a favorite.

[Miss Kelly]

I read this in my brother's wedding.

[Beth]

I downloaded the song immediately .

[Erik]

Just not as catchy or fun as Boynton's other books.

[Bridgette Elston]

Don't forget to go to workman.com/boynton to get the song version of this book.

[Eva_Amaré]

Sandra Boynton is our jam. We love her. This book has singing, a hippo and a very devoted penguin, what more does a book really need? 🐧

[Alix Saunders]

The best of all Sandra Boynton's books. Easy to memorize and find rhythm in the words. Fun song by Davy Jones from the Monkeys, too!