Guardians of the Littlest Penguins by Wendy Hinote Lanier (Author) and Sara Aziz (Illustrator)
Little penguins (also known as blue penguin and fairy penguins) may seem like creatures of fiction standing just over a foot tall and living in Australia--but they are quite real.
Middle Island, Australia was known for its colony of little penguins. Locals delighted in them, but noticed one summer that they didn't see as many and couldn't find other traces of them. After a sad investigation, they discovered that foxes were now able to get to Middle Island and were preying upon the little penguins.
What were the locals to do? After a town meeting, the community decides to introduce two Maremma dogs to Middle Island as protectors for the little penguins. Maremma dogs are big, agreeable, and fluffy dogs bred to protect livestock--but could they learn to protect the little penguins?
While some aspects of Guardians of the Littlest Penguins by Wendy Hinote Lanier are fictionalized, the core story of creative thinking to protect an endangered colony of little penguins is true. Maremma dogs were successfully trained (and are still being successfully trained) to guard the little penguins from foxes and have helped--with some setbacks--restore the little penguin colony.
Lanier does an excellent job of telling the story--even the sad parts--in an age-appropriate way. She also included helpful facts at the end of the book that add deeper details to the story and the animals discussed.
Illustrator Sara Aziz does a delightful job of giving all of the animals expressions that clearly convey emotions without the animals losing their animal charm. Aziz also lovingly portrays the landscape and people of Middle Island.
With all of these wonderful elements, Guardians of the Littlest Penguins by Wendy Hinote Lanier and illustrated by Sara Aziz is a lovely picture book that kids will enjoy and learn from.
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