Penguin and Moose: The Power of Friendship

My three sons started a new school this past year and one of them, in particular, was terrified. “The kids are going to make fun of me. I know it.” To be honest, it was a legitimate fear, as this son has dyslexia and has lived in fear of his peers finding out and making fun of him for a long time. It’s a heartbreaking feeling as a parent to watch your child struggle with insecurities about the things they can’t do, when you see so much greatness in them as a person.

The first days and weeks of school, my son met another boy in his class and they became fast friends. This friend of my son’s found out about his struggles and rather than make fun of him…he helped him with his homework! This other boy has his own struggles, facing bullying by his classmates and never really fitting in. As their friendship grew this past semester, all of a sudden the bullying of this kid stopped. Everyone at the school seems to love and look up to my son and his friendship with this particular boy has helped them both tremendously in many ways.

In the story of Penguin and Moose, Penguin has his own insecurities about his inability to fly. He is helped by his friend who spends all day by his side trying to figure out a way for Penguin to fly. In the end, Penguin realizes that even though he may never fly, he has an amazing friend in Moose. The story quotes Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times.”

There is something very powerful about a supportive friend in the life of a child struggling with insecurities. A friend like this does for a child something that even the power of a mother’s love can’t replace. This story is a great illustration of that!

Hannah Hall is a friend of mine and I’m honored to be a part of her launch team for this sweet and beautifully illustrated book! I received a copy of Penguin and Moose for review.