Review: wonderful Christmas story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 5, 2012
This is an absolutely charming story with wonderful heart-warming lessons.  As a parent, here are my initial thoughts as I first read through this book:-  I love the character Courtney. She is a sweet and thoughtful little Penguin.-  The illustrations are wonderful.  They're colorful, playful and exciting enough to entertain the little ones.-  The time frame to travel from the South Pole to the North Pole was realistic enough, and the different animals and locations Courtney encountered could open up all kinds of different discussions with kids.-  The importance of teaching kids to say `thank you' when receiving a gift from someone who isn't right there with them.Now, I always enjoy reading a new story to my 4-year-old.  My son is used to me reading to him, so the first time through a new story, he dissects every little thing. It always amazes me how he sees things, and this book didn't disappoint.  A couple of things that he found interesting that I overlooked were:-  "What the heck is a compass?"  (his exact words)-  How does the penguin swim?-  What kind of medicine does Rudolph have to take?Needless to say, we had a great time reading this story, and he's asked to have it re-read to him several times so far.Overall, this is an enjoyable read that can read as a cute holiday book, or used as a wonderful learning tool to open up all kinds of different discussions. I would recommend this for people of all ages, but especially for kids aged 4-6.Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from Innovative Online Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.