No Huddles for Heloise - by Deborah Kerbel (Hardcover)

About the Book

In this humorous picture book, Heloise the penguin doesn't like huddling with her friends (it gives her the collywobbles), so she sets off to find others like her but discovers there's no place like home--especially when your friends support you.

Book Synopsis

Heloise likes a lot of things: sledding, giving rocks to her friends, and eating fish popsicles. She does NOT like certain things, like crowds, close-talkers and huddles.

The problem is, huddles are a big part of being a penguin. Everyone gathers together to keep warm and stay safe from leopard seals. But huddles give Heloise the collywobbles! Heloise sets off to find others like her. Along the way, she meets other animals who don't seem so friendly, and after a close brush with a leopard seal, Heloise realizes that she needs to get back to her community. Is there a way for Heloise to be a penguin and keep her personal space?

Review Quotes

"This charming animal story blends the human emotional need to have personal space with facts relating to penguins in a way that is accessible and fun. This is a fun, anthropomorphic addition to story-hour collections that promote social emotional learning in young children."

-- "School Library Journal (SLJ)"

"It's lovely to read a story about an introverted character who doesn't feel compelled to fit in with the extroverts...Deborah Kerbel validates the fullness of Heloise's life without the partying and closeness demanded or even just requested by her penguin peers [and] demonstrates an acceptance of the introverted Heloise rather than sympathy for her nature."

"A thoughtful, gentle story of a penguin who struggles with being 'different' from her friends. It is a wonderful collaboration between Deborah Kerbel and Udayana Lugo, one that has resulted in a story that seamlessly intertwines factual information about penguin habitat and behaviour with a nuanced connection to human needs for acceptance and inclusion...No Huddles for Heloise, an honest, heartfelt story of friendship, support, acceptance and inclusiveness, will be a must-have addition to anyone's collection. Highly recommended."

-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"

"Offers a sympathetic portrayal of a character who's eager to maintain personal boundaries yet still wants to embrace her friends in her own way. Lugo's gauche and coloured-pencil illustrations are handsomely rendered and darling."

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"The cheerful and engaging gouache and colored-pencil illustrations include many humorous touches...Kerbel presents the need for personal space in an entertaining tale that many children will relate to."

-- "Booklist"

About the Author

Deborah Kerbel is the award-winning author of more than thirty books for young readers, including Fred & Marjorie, winner of the Forest of Reading Yellow Cedar Award and the Red Cedar Award, and Sun Dog, a Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Honour Book. Her books have been shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association's YA Book Award and the Rocky Mountain Book Award, among others. Deborah was born in London, England, and raised in Toronto, where she now lives with her family.

Udayana Lugo is a self-taught illustrator of mixed heritage. She is passionate about representation and tries to portray people of different backgrounds and abilities in her work. She works both traditionally and digitally, with a strong preference for watercolors and pencils. She has illustrated more than fifteen books, for both Canadian and foreign publishers. Udayana lives and works on the traditional, ancestral and unceded land of the Musqueam and Squamish Nations, also called Richmond, BC.