Brilliant. More serious than the books starring Chester and Scaredy Squirrel, with a theme that has pretty much been done to death. But MW breathes new life into it with an unusual species for the MC, terrific book design illustrations, some silly puns in the text (cold feet, iceberg lettuce). and lots of references to masterpieces of art. I loved the variation on the Magritte, and I especially appreciated that I was introduced to an artist I'd somehow never heard of before: Lawren S. Harris. Have you ever heard of him? ( )

When Augustine's family must move from the South Pole to the North, the young penguin is dismayed to leave behind her extended family, and her friends at school. Will she and her parents be the only penguins in the Arctic? Will she make friends at her new school, despite her strange accent? Luckily, Augustine has her artistic talent to fall back on...

An engaging and reassuring tale about moving, from the author of the Scaredy Squirrel and Chester books, Augustine also introduces young readers to the joy of art, through its heroine's paintings, which imitate real masterpieces. Attribution of these is given in a brief afterword, in case more motivated readers are interested in pursuing the subject. The conceit of having penguins at the North Pole works well here, emphasizing the way in which a recently transplanted child feels like a foreigner, and the colorful illustrations will keep young readers involved. All in all, this is a solid picture-book, which can be appreciated either as a reassurance tale or an "identify that painting!" type art book. ( )

This is a great book to read to students on their first day of school. The penguin is nervous but makes many friends.

I felt very connected to this story and believe the story sent out a good message to children to try new things and step outside of your comfort zone. I think the illustrations helped describe the meaning of the story.

Reviewed by Valerie Nielsen (CM Magazine, Nov. 10, 2006, Vol. 8, No. 6) http://umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol13/no6/augustine.html

Reviewed by Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, Nov. 15, 2006, Vol. 103, No. 6)

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2006, Vol. 74, No. 15)

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2007)