The Penguin Who was Afraid of the Cold: Pocket Stories with Cynthia

by Cynthia Li

On a faraway ice field lived a penguin who was afraid of the cold.
While others skated and dived into the freezing sea,
this little penguin just wanted to stay wrapped in a blanket.

To keep warm, it learned to make hot cocoa
and built a tiny snow hut with a “Warmth Open to All.”

The Penguin Who Was Afraid of the Cold
is a tender picture book about kindness, difference, and quiet courage for anyone who has ever felt out of place,
but still wished to bring warmth to the world.

Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2025

About the author

Cynthia Li, MD, graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and has practiced in settings as diverse as Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital, and St Anthony Medical Clinic for the homeless. She serves on the faculty of the Healer's Art program at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, and has a private practice in integrative and functional medicine. She lives in Berkeley, CA, with her husband and their two daughters.