The Penguin Lessons

Description

A unique, true story about a penguin living at a boarding school with the teacher who saves its life When schoolteacher Tom Michell pulls a penguin from an oil slick off the coast of Uruguay he has no idea what to do. Back at his apartment, Tom cleans him, but upon returning to the beach the penguin refuses to return to the ocean. Tom has one option- to smuggle the penguin over the Argentinian border to the prestigious boarding school Tom calls home. There follows a heart-warming story of one remarkable penguin, who adapts to boarding school life. Whether it's as team mascot or swimming coach extraordinaire - Juan Salvador the penguin transforms the lives of all he meets.

Tom Michell was born and grew up on the rural downs of southern England, where he grew to love animals, birds and plants. After living in Argentina he returned home and settled in Cornwall where he helps with the family business, tends a small plot of what he calls 'good Cornish soil' and sings with a local choir. He is an amateur artist and in his spare time he draws and paints subjects from the wildlife around his home, specializing in birds of prey. Tom is an enthusiastic proponent of understanding how humans can live in genuinely sustainable ways. He is married with four grown-up children and three grandchildren.

Entrancing ... the writing is a delight, the story itself so touching that I didn't want it to end. I really loved this book -- Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear Fantastic, fantastic - I have been glued to The Penguin Lessons ... it's so good. A magical story -- Dj Nihal BBC Radio 2 Fact Not Fiction Bookclub His tone suits the material perfectly ... you believe every word ... No fool, this penguin. No fools these publishers, who have unleashed such a delightful and charming book just in time for Christmas Daily Mail An uplifting true story about author Tom Michell's years as a teacher in Argentina and the penguin he adopted as a pet Good Housekeeping Warm and unique ... it's hard not to wish you were there ... a lovely story about a remarkable trip to the other side of the world and a gorgeous friendship between one man and his penguin The Bookseller While Michell devotes much of his time to heartwarming penguin antics, he also recalls the less idyllic elements of his time in Argentina, including runaway inflation and a military coup. Michell's crisp, intelligent voice is equally at home chatting about motorcycling through the Argentine countryside and hiding a penguin for the duration of a bus trip. His classic dry British wit provides the perfect counterbalance to the inherent sweetness of the penguin's remarkable devotion. Animal lovers and travel fans alike will find Michell's adventures bright and charming Shelf Awareness Lively and endearing ... In clever, entertaining vignettes accompanied by simple yet engaging illustrations, Michell ... interweaves introspection, travel tales, and penguin facts in a charming story that also reveals the charismatic nature of this gregarious and increasingly endangered species Publishers Weekly One of the most touching tales we've read all year Heat ***** Packed full of funny, heart-warming anecdotes and peppered with interesting details of the political and economic picture of Argentina, this would make a perfect Christmas stocking filler Irish Examiner Tom Michell seems like the sort of fellow you'd like to have dinner with sometime. He would no doubt regale you with fascinating tales of life in Argentina during the 1970s: living with high inflation and the collapse of the Peronist government, hiking in the high Andes, wandering the snowy, pine-covered wilderness of Tierra del Fuego. Oh, and he might tell you a little bit about a Magellanic penguin he used to know Washington Post A crazy, witty, enchanting story Woman & Home