Imogen and Arthur discover the penguin is called Einstein, who has a lost friend, Isaac. Imogen and Arthur set to some detective work.. where are these penguins from? How did they end up here? and where is Isaac now? An adventure full of suspense unfolds and they end up travelling to Scotland, meeting detectives (and getting them into trouble with their boss!) rescuing Isaac and spending Christmas with a penguin! When the Stewart family visit the zoo, they particularly like the penguins. As they are leaving, Mrs Stewart says to one of the penguins that they can come and visit any time. They are very surprised when the penguin turns up on their doorstep shortly afterwards. The children, Imogen and Arthur, love having Einstein to stay and try to find out more about where he has come from and why he is there. Night Mayor Franklefink has vanished from the Transylvanian Express - and it's up to you to solve the case! Part of the Solve Your Own Mystery seri... I love this book . . . Iona Rangeley has written a wonderfully witty story in Einstein the Penguin which is beautifully complimented by David Tazzyman’s hilarious illustrations” DAVID WALLIAMS, author of GANGSTA GRANNY The family’s new feathered friend helps Arthur to come out of his shell and makes massive demands on Imogen’s amateur sleuthing. But together they must find out why Einstein came to them and they must keep away from the mysterious white-coat man.

The above is why I requested the book from NetGalley. The above is also why I had high expectations from this book. ( Quite unfair to the book, I agree.) And finally, the above is why I felt a little let down when my expectations weren’t met entirely.

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Although he doesn’t actually look like it in the drawings, I was quite delighted to find out that Einstein was a little penguin. They’re such fun and amazing little animals and I’ve not come across them represented much in children’s fiction (although NZ has an excellent book about them, written by someone who works at the National Aquarium). Einstein is a very resourceful penguin, having managed to escape his home at Sydney Zoo and managed to get himself on a flight to the UK, where he believes Issac is and is busy looking for him in London Zoo when the Stewart family see him. When he comes to visit the children are delighted and want to keep him forever and enjoy taking him on adventures – Arthur sneaks him to school, they take him shopping and although Mr and Mrs Stewart make noises about him not staying forever, they don’t do anything about it. Imogen reads detective novels so when she learns Einstein is searching for his friend, she undertakes an investigative role, determined to find where Issac is so that she can reunite them – even if that means they might have to say goodbye to Einstein. When the Stewarts spend a sunny, frosty December day at London Zoo, they’re enchanted by one small penguin. At the delight of young Imogen and Arthur, Mrs Stewart insists the penguin “must come and stay with them whenever he likes.” On the other hand, the book started off well for me but soon became quite far-fetched. Kids will enjoy the antics of the siblings and the clever penguin as long as they don’t ask “how”. This is because there are quite a few things left unexplained and are absolutely unrealistic. ( Yeah, okay… Children’s book… I gotta dial down my logical side.) There are also some things that didn’t quite work out the way I wanted. ( Expectations issue again… Sigh!) Perfect for all readers from 7 to 70, Einstein the Penguin introduces an unforgettable new character in a future-classic and fantastically funny debut for all the family to enjoy. Get ready to welcome the most extraordinary penguin into your own home…

Na een bezoekje aan de dierentuin krijgt het gezin Stewart, bestaande uit moeder, vader, de 9-jarige Imogen en de 6-jarige Arthur bezoek van wel een heel bijzondere gast: Einstein de pinguïn. Het is het begin van een wel heel bijzonder avontuur waarin Imogen en Arthur als ware detectives op zoek gaan naar Einsteins vriend Isaac. Author Luke Palmer introduces his new book, Play (Firefly Press) about four boys growing up together, the challenges, the friendships, and what hap... Although Einstein cannot speak, they communicate through a series of grunts and gestures, and discover that he is on a rescue mission. Can they help him complete his quest before the mysterious man in a wide-brimmed hat catches up with them? While Imogen enjoys honing her investigative skills, Einstein gives Arthur the confidence to overcome his shyness and make a new friend.The family's new feathered friend helps Arthur to come out of his shell and makes massive demands on Imogen's amateur sleuthing. But together they must find out why Einstein came to them and they must keep away from the mysterious white-coat man. And Einstein can't stay forever, can he...? The story carries a lot of Paddington vibes, mainly because this tale is also set in London and that wild-animal-with-a-family trope seems similar and familiar. But other than this common factor, the two stories are quite different. Of course, I would have loved it to be more like Paddington. Who wouldn’t want a talking penguin? My proof copy doesn't feature illustrations, apart from the cover and endpapers, but I hope the finished copy does have some - Einstein has such espression here, I'd love to see what David can do with scenes and the other characters. If it's just this, though, the endpapers will have kids in stitches.