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Penguins and Other Sea Birds
Did you know...
The Galápagos Penguin's speckled markings make each of them as unique as a snowflake?
The Emperor Penguin weighs the same as a Labrador retriever?
The Adélie Penguin takes its name from the sweetheart of a Napoleonic naval captain turned explorer?
From tiny fairy penguins to the regal emperor penguin, street artist and ornithologist, Matt Sewell, illustrates one of the world’s favourite birds in this follow-up to Owls, Our Garden Birds, Our Songbirds and Our Woodland Birds.
The Galápagos Penguin's speckled markings make each of them as unique as a snowflake?
The Emperor Penguin weighs the same as a Labrador retriever?
The Adélie Penguin takes its name from the sweetheart of a Napoleonic naval captain turned explorer?
From tiny fairy penguins to the regal emperor penguin, street artist and ornithologist, Matt Sewell, illustrates one of the world’s favourite birds in this follow-up to Owls, Our Garden Birds, Our Songbirds and Our Woodland Birds.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2016
5 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Matt Sewell
18 books72 followersArtist and illustrator Matt Sewell has been described as the Banksy of the bird world. Matt works in a variety of media including T-shirts, posters, interiors, sculptures and walls. He has illustrated for the Guardian and Barbour, amongst many others; painted underpasses for the RSPB; and exhibited in London, Manchester, New York, Tokyo and Paris, as well as being an avid ornithologist and regular contributor to the Caught by The River website (he also designed their logo).
His bird books, Our Garden Birds, Our Woodland Birds, A Charm of Goldfinches and many more, have taken the world by storm. He has also illustrated numerous children’s books including The Big Bird Spot, Dinosaurs and Forgotten Beasts. His latest book for children is Atlas of Amazing Birds.
Matt lives in Shrewsbury with his partner and two children.
His bird books, Our Garden Birds, Our Woodland Birds, A Charm of Goldfinches and many more, have taken the world by storm. He has also illustrated numerous children’s books including The Big Bird Spot, Dinosaurs and Forgotten Beasts. His latest book for children is Atlas of Amazing Birds.
Matt lives in Shrewsbury with his partner and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 31, 2025
4.5 stars
Matt provides one full-color picture and one page of description per bird...though these aren't your typical animal-facts!
I absolutely loved the quirky little way Matt Sewell does his animal descriptions.
Take the King Penguin:
Highly recommended if you are looking for a quick and enjoyable book about animals!
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Matt Sewell takes us on an amazing little adventure as we travel the globe to learn cool facts and looking at gorgeous illustrations of various penguins and sea birds.
Hopefully in this book you will discover that there is a lot more to penguins than being cute. In fact, they are one of the hardiest souls on the planet...
Matt provides one full-color picture and one page of description per bird...though these aren't your typical animal-facts!
I absolutely loved the quirky little way Matt Sewell does his animal descriptions.
Take the King Penguin:
...their chick, which - especially when compared to the dignified nobility of its folks - looks like an awkward toddler in a Sasquatch outfit.It's just so much fun to watch the author have fun with his book!
Want to know why the Smew is my favorite seabird...? It has the best name: Smew. So cute.I loved his dry humor that was scattered throughout as well.
Probably the most popularly named bird in this book, the Blue-footed Booby's name will no doubt get a few chortles from those of you who find that kind of thing funny.In short - I'm overwhelmed with cuteness and the illustrations truly make this book perfect.
Highly recommended if you are looking for a quick and enjoyable book about animals!
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
November 12, 2017
Maza un ļoti mīlīga grāmatiņa, kas stāsta par pingvīniem un citiem jūras putniem, pārsvarā gan koncentrējoties uz Britu salu tuvumā mītošajām sugām. Katram putnam ir veltīts autora paša radīts akvarelis un neliels, gandrīz vienmēr humorīgs apraksts, kas dažos teikumos izstāsta ne vien galvenos eksistenciālos paradumus, bet arī pa kādai ne ar vienu citu nesalīdzināmai īpatnībai, kas bieži vien ir visai smieklīgas. Turklāt diez vai par tām stāsta nopietnās ornitoloģijas grāmatās. Dzīvojot baložu un vārnu pilsētā, var nepamanīt un varbūt pat neuzzināt, ka mums apkārt ir tik daudz neticami pievilcīgu putnu. Piemēram varat iegūglēt "smew" (mazā gaura).
February 22, 2019
I picked this up on a whim from the Dollar Tree because it looked really cute!
And I quite enjoyed it! It had little snippets about different penguins and some other birds, but it was told in a more simple and casual way that made it fun to read!
Plus it had cute little illustrations of every bird!
And I quite enjoyed it! It had little snippets about different penguins and some other birds, but it was told in a more simple and casual way that made it fun to read!
Plus it had cute little illustrations of every bird!
February 12, 2018
Very informative but written in a casual, witty tone, so it's fun to read and not at all dry. Plus, the drawings are wonderful!
October 15, 2023
Read this just for fun! Matt loves penguins and thought it would be funny to learn more about them.
September 25, 2017
So far Matt Sewell is becoming one of my most favorite birding authors when it comes down to getting to know our feathered friends more. He knows his birds while not only brings them to life in his illustrations which are interesting and charming in their own right but with the information that he provides for each one while allowing the reader to understand his own personal preferences when it comes to the avian world.
Matt has a way of bringing the world of nature to life by helping the reader to understand the different species in an easy writing style that searches how their name came to be, some of their habits, their distribution and even threats to that particular species. Along with his English style of wit and his personal opinions this makes for a book whereupon the reader can pick up on the author's love of his country as well as the animals that fill the neighborly niches around him.
The book isn't organized, though, in any shape or level so the reader will have no idea which bird will be next in the reading. And although the book doesn't need to be organized it probably would have done well for most of the more well known ocean birds that I was interested in was towards the back so I had to endure with other birds whether interesting or not to me to get to those that I wanted to learn more about.
Otherwise the book has a watercolor of each bird for each entry and these are repeated in the back in a section that the author has included as a checklist for those avid birders who like to get out and about. All in all along with his other books this is one book that would be a great gift to birders young and old, especially those who don't mind the dry wit, and/or UK visitors even though other non UK-localized species have been included in the telling of the pages.
Matt has a way of bringing the world of nature to life by helping the reader to understand the different species in an easy writing style that searches how their name came to be, some of their habits, their distribution and even threats to that particular species. Along with his English style of wit and his personal opinions this makes for a book whereupon the reader can pick up on the author's love of his country as well as the animals that fill the neighborly niches around him.
The book isn't organized, though, in any shape or level so the reader will have no idea which bird will be next in the reading. And although the book doesn't need to be organized it probably would have done well for most of the more well known ocean birds that I was interested in was towards the back so I had to endure with other birds whether interesting or not to me to get to those that I wanted to learn more about.
Otherwise the book has a watercolor of each bird for each entry and these are repeated in the back in a section that the author has included as a checklist for those avid birders who like to get out and about. All in all along with his other books this is one book that would be a great gift to birders young and old, especially those who don't mind the dry wit, and/or UK visitors even though other non UK-localized species have been included in the telling of the pages.
July 2, 2016
This is basically a short encyclopaedia on Penguins and other sea birds as the title suggests, featuring watercolour illustrations alongside a short piece of text about the species. For me personally, it didn't feel organised enough to be a good encyclopaedia (it could've been divided into types of species, or alphabetically so it'd be easier to find what you're looking for), and the text in itself isn't much - sometimes funny, but often just not enough or again, organised enough in that the text sometimes barely give any information but only funny anecdotes and other times focuses solely on the facts. Bottom line - get it for the illustrations, or give it to someone who loves penguins/sea birds and don't mind the very general overview it gives. I think this'd be a great present for a child though - for a child interested in nature and animals, it'd be a fun way to learn and to create interest.
June 13, 2019
I read this aloud to my son and he enjoyed the candid factoids about each bird. It it gorgeously illustrated and full of information, I just wish the birds were better organised, perhaps by family or continent?
September 4, 2022
It’s a Matt Sewell book; I can hardly give it a negative review. His simple formula works wonders, and the poetic vignettes of this helping are utterly delightful.
It does make me laugh that the great auk was included on the spotting guide at the end. Might be a bit hard to spot that one.
It does make me laugh that the great auk was included on the spotting guide at the end. Might be a bit hard to spot that one.
April 5, 2020
A beautiful book of facts and illustrations.
And has 16 different types of penguins included for those among us who adore these birds 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧
And has 16 different types of penguins included for those among us who adore these birds 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧
May 20, 2016
What a beautiful book!
I’m passionate about birds, but cannot be described as a twitcher just a happy amateur. However, any book or app that’s going to teach me more on the subject is devoured and slotted into the storage cabinet in my brain labelled “BIRDS”.
Matt Sewell has produced the most beautifully illustrated book on both penguins and other sea birds, starting with the Emperor Penguin and including such bizarrely named birds like the Rhinoceros Auklet and Chinstrapped Penguin.
The illustrations showcase Matt Sewell’s enormous talent and makes me determined to add his other books: Owls, Our Woodland Birds, Spotting & Jotting Guide, Our Garden Birds and Our Songbirds to my collection. His passion for conservation shines through every page.
Don’t ever give up illustrating and writing Matt Sewell, your work is instructive, beautiful and valued and all bird enthusiasts should have your books to help identify and educate us on our wide variety of feathered friends.
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
I’m passionate about birds, but cannot be described as a twitcher just a happy amateur. However, any book or app that’s going to teach me more on the subject is devoured and slotted into the storage cabinet in my brain labelled “BIRDS”.
Matt Sewell has produced the most beautifully illustrated book on both penguins and other sea birds, starting with the Emperor Penguin and including such bizarrely named birds like the Rhinoceros Auklet and Chinstrapped Penguin.
The illustrations showcase Matt Sewell’s enormous talent and makes me determined to add his other books: Owls, Our Woodland Birds, Spotting & Jotting Guide, Our Garden Birds and Our Songbirds to my collection. His passion for conservation shines through every page.
Don’t ever give up illustrating and writing Matt Sewell, your work is instructive, beautiful and valued and all bird enthusiasts should have your books to help identify and educate us on our wide variety of feathered friends.
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
November 24, 2016
this is a lovely art book ... some readers criticized it for not being a proper field guide... about 50 birds are lovingly described on one elegant page with lots of white space, with a full-page watercolor on the opposite side. the paintings are gorgeous, charming and adorable.
p.s. birds are awesome ...
especially penguins!
p.s. birds are awesome ...
especially penguins!
August 10, 2017
Although the information on the birds presented in this book isn't comphrehensive, I think it's a great introduction which will likely make you want to do further research. The best part of the book is the watercolor illustrations that accompany each page of text. They're beautiful and charming. I'm thinking of passing this book along to my niece, who is obsessed with all kinds of animals.
November 21, 2016
The drawings and stories are whimsical. Sometimes the humor is a bit forced, but it's great for reading with your kid where other wildlife books are too detailed/dull.
February 14, 2017
Super cute xmas gift, and I like pointing out all the ones I've met in my travels.
February 18, 2017
I'm learning them all now. Got all 16 Penguins in a line copied to a rough scale size-wise, grouped and I'm learning who they are and things about them.
March 16, 2017
Anecdotal, chatty information about penguins and friends accommodated by little water color illustrations. Fun
March 30, 2017
Adorable illustrations and factual but also fun and amusing descriptions make this a brilliant book about penguins and other seabirds.
June 15, 2017
What a delightful book with colorful and lovely illustrations.
February 7, 2018
Good Drawings of sea birds
I am not sure who the intended audience is. Too simplistic , not enough detail, descriptions had some attempts of humor.
I am not sure who the intended audience is. Too simplistic , not enough detail, descriptions had some attempts of humor.
July 7, 2018
I can only give it five five stars as it is an picture book the excels at its intended purpose of describing several arctic birds.
January 18, 2019
Brought a tear to my normally stoic eye. Never have I witnessed a truer love than of this ornithologist for these birds.
February 22, 2019
It was good to get information about sea 🐦s.😄
May 16, 2019
Adorable little find from the Dollar Tree.
Nice cute illustrations and facts with a handy jotting guide in the back.
Nice cute illustrations and facts with a handy jotting guide in the back.
March 3, 2020
What a whimsical little book! It made me want to book a journey to Antarctica straight away to see the amazing little (and huge) creatures that live there. each 2 pages is split so one side is a beautifully-made watercolour drawing, while the other half includes the animal's name, scientific name and information about it including where it was found, sometimes the origin of it's name, where they prefer to live, any interesting physical features and fun facts! I love this author already as his writing is fun, informational and not childish whatsoever.
June 17, 2017
You can tell that Sewell as a lot of passion for the topic, but I found it somewhat forgetable, with quick, bite-sized passages about each bird. Just okay, nothing special.
November 9, 2019
This is a great book for all ages! The pictures are large and are detailed. The descriptions of the birds have interesting bits of information. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it!
January 18, 2020
Bought it for the illustrations for my 5 year old niece but it turns out that the text is for grown-ups like me! Dollar well spent at Dollar Tree. I wish I could find more!
December 27, 2020
good as a lighthearted Christmas book, would have enjoyed a few more actual facts sprinkled into the badinage.
March 31, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews