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Stories for the Early Years #1
Pepe Builds a Nest
A wonderful story about making the right choices and dealing with bullies!
Pepe, the penguin, needs to build a nest for Miss Amber and himself. But Otto, the bully, keeps stealing his stones. See how Pepe and others solve the problem, finally bringing Pepe and Otto together as friends.
Pepe, the penguin, needs to build a nest for Miss Amber and himself. But Otto, the bully, keeps stealing his stones. See how Pepe and others solve the problem, finally bringing Pepe and Otto together as friends.
48 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2017
4 people want to read
About the author
Theodore Jerome Cohen
69 books39 followers
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 10, 2017
Sweet rhyming story about Pepe the penguin who carefully prepares a comfy nest for his mate. He choses beautiful stones and when he his finished, Otto, the resident bully steals the rocks to build his own nest. Pepe finds his missing nest and when he confronts the rock bandit, a confrontation occurs. Otto threatens with his superior size, but Pepe is backed up with the support of his friends. All is resolved peacefully. Charming and thoughtfully written, this little book celebrates hard work and diligence, loyalty and solutions. A great read to share with a youngster.
August 1, 2017
Theodore Jerome Cohen uses penguins to teach kids the lessons of friendship and bullying. I am reminded that true friends support each other if they see a friend being bullied. I believe that a bully can change if someone stands up to them. I also believe that a bully can turn into a friend if someone reaches out to befriend them.
There are beautiful illustrations in this book. There is one illustration of two penguins standing next to each other. It looks like they are joining wings with each other. This is a cute and romantic illustration. It makes me wonder about the social behavior of penguins. There is another illustration of a penguin picking up a stone with his mouth. This illustration makes think about the intelligence of penguins. The last word of one line rhymes with the last word in the following line. This makes the book easy to read and enjoyable to read aloud.
There are beautiful illustrations in this book. There is one illustration of two penguins standing next to each other. It looks like they are joining wings with each other. This is a cute and romantic illustration. It makes me wonder about the social behavior of penguins. There is another illustration of a penguin picking up a stone with his mouth. This illustration makes think about the intelligence of penguins. The last word of one line rhymes with the last word in the following line. This makes the book easy to read and enjoyable to read aloud.
August 4, 2017
While the topic is penguins, this story about a bully -- told in rhyme and easy for children to follow and understand. Penguins are a favorite topic, and the photograph illustrations are so interesting to them. They will learn penguins build their nests with rocks. They will also learn about problem solving and forming friendships. This story would be nice for a class discussion for the topic of bullies. Fun and educational!
C'est un bon livre pour les enfants.
Ils peuvent apprendre au sujet des pingouins et apprendre à se comporter. L'histoire est facile à comprendre. Les photos sont supères. Nous avons beaucoup apprécié ce livre à la maison.
C'est un bon livre pour les enfants.
Ils peuvent apprendre au sujet des pingouins et apprendre à se comporter. L'histoire est facile à comprendre. Les photos sont supères. Nous avons beaucoup apprécié ce livre à la maison.
February 8, 2017
Like most children, mine argue with each other a lot. While it’s tempting to step in the middle and resolve it myself, I try to stand back and let them come to a resolution themselves. Some days that is the hardest thing to do, especially when I can an easy way to solve the problem. As a parent it’s important to help your child learn to resolve conflicts on their own. “Pepe Builds a Nest” shows how Pepe handles a conflict with another Penguin who threatens his nest.
“Pepe Builds a Nest” by Theodore Jerome Cohen, is the story of a penguin named Pepe. Pepe and Miss Amber need a nest and it’s up to Pepe to build it. He searches high and low for the best rocks to build a perfect home but another penguin keeps stealing his stones. Discover how Pepe and his friends work together to resolve the problem.
Written for children in grades 1 and 2, “Pepe Builds a Nest” addresses the important topic of bullying. We like to think that bullying doesn’t happen, but it does and it needs to be talked about. Our children need to know how to recognize when we or a friend is being bullied and how to deal with the situation. The story reinforces the idea that it’s important to stand up for ourselves and others when we feel bullied.
“Pepe Builds a Nest” reminds us that there are consequences to each choice we make. When Otto sees Pepe’s nest of stones he is jealous and makes the the poor decision to steal his stones. Take this time to talk to your little ones about what they would do differently than Otto.
The story also demonstrates how we can find friends in unlikely places. Pepe’s story is one that my daughter can relate to. Last year she encountered a bully at school and like Pepe, instead of retaliating she decided to be his friend.
The illustrations are simply adorable. My children loved the penguins. Our favourite page is the one of Otto tip-toeing (can penguins tip-toe?) over to steal the stones. The story is easily read aloud, perfect for reading in the classroom. The author has even included links to some penguin activities on his website. My daughter loved the last image in the book the best, a picture of Mr. Cohen and the penguins in Antarctica.
“Pepe Builds a Nest” is a beautiful story about two penguins that become unlikely friends.
*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of “Pepe Builds a Nest” in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% my own.
“Pepe Builds a Nest” by Theodore Jerome Cohen, is the story of a penguin named Pepe. Pepe and Miss Amber need a nest and it’s up to Pepe to build it. He searches high and low for the best rocks to build a perfect home but another penguin keeps stealing his stones. Discover how Pepe and his friends work together to resolve the problem.
Written for children in grades 1 and 2, “Pepe Builds a Nest” addresses the important topic of bullying. We like to think that bullying doesn’t happen, but it does and it needs to be talked about. Our children need to know how to recognize when we or a friend is being bullied and how to deal with the situation. The story reinforces the idea that it’s important to stand up for ourselves and others when we feel bullied.
“Pepe Builds a Nest” reminds us that there are consequences to each choice we make. When Otto sees Pepe’s nest of stones he is jealous and makes the the poor decision to steal his stones. Take this time to talk to your little ones about what they would do differently than Otto.
The story also demonstrates how we can find friends in unlikely places. Pepe’s story is one that my daughter can relate to. Last year she encountered a bully at school and like Pepe, instead of retaliating she decided to be his friend.
The illustrations are simply adorable. My children loved the penguins. Our favourite page is the one of Otto tip-toeing (can penguins tip-toe?) over to steal the stones. The story is easily read aloud, perfect for reading in the classroom. The author has even included links to some penguin activities on his website. My daughter loved the last image in the book the best, a picture of Mr. Cohen and the penguins in Antarctica.
“Pepe Builds a Nest” is a beautiful story about two penguins that become unlikely friends.
*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of “Pepe Builds a Nest” in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% my own.
November 3, 2017
It's time for Pepe the Penguin to build a nest for his family to begin to grow. Building the nest is hard work, gathering stones from the shore and moving them into a circle in a safe spot on the beach. Pepe is particular, choosing the best stones for his nest. Otto, another penguin, decides it would be easier to just steal Pepe's stones to make his nest. So, when Pepe has his back turned, Otto begins to steal his stones to make his nest. Pepe notices his stones are missing and confronts Otto. Will the bully win in this instance or will Pepe be able to have his nest ready for Miss Amber to sit?
What always amazes me is when authors can rhyme their way through an entire book. It's hard enough to write an engaging children's story, but then to also have it rhyme is even more challenging. Cohen's tale has a 2/4 rhyming scheme that makes the story perfect for a read-aloud. The illustrations are realistic penguins and not cartoonish. I think kids will love this story and parents too. The lesson in the story offers parents an opportunity to discuss with their child how to handle a bully or someone who isn't treating them very nicely.
The paperback version of this book is also available in Spanish and French. It is also available as an eBook. This book is great for preschool-second grade kids. There are two more books in the Pepe series.
What always amazes me is when authors can rhyme their way through an entire book. It's hard enough to write an engaging children's story, but then to also have it rhyme is even more challenging. Cohen's tale has a 2/4 rhyming scheme that makes the story perfect for a read-aloud. The illustrations are realistic penguins and not cartoonish. I think kids will love this story and parents too. The lesson in the story offers parents an opportunity to discuss with their child how to handle a bully or someone who isn't treating them very nicely.
The paperback version of this book is also available in Spanish and French. It is also available as an eBook. This book is great for preschool-second grade kids. There are two more books in the Pepe series.
June 12, 2018
Pepe Builds a Nest is a story about a penguin named Pepe who is working hard to build his nest when another penguin decides to take advantage of his hard work and steal Pepe's stones when he is not looking.
While introducing children to the process that penguins use when building a nest, this book tackles topics related to bullying and ways for the victim, observers, and the bully to handle such situations. Vibrant illustrations are used throughout the book.
This is a great book for all children! I give it 5 stars and 2 flippers!
While introducing children to the process that penguins use when building a nest, this book tackles topics related to bullying and ways for the victim, observers, and the bully to handle such situations. Vibrant illustrations are used throughout the book.
This is a great book for all children! I give it 5 stars and 2 flippers!
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November 18, 2025Theodore Jerome Cohen ’60, MS’61, PhD’66
Author
From the author:
A wonderful story about making the right choices and dealing with bullies.
Author
From the author:
A wonderful story about making the right choices and dealing with bullies.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews