The Bedford Public Library System Presents…

“All the World Loves a Penguin”

Our 2021 Community Read

March 1st – April 30th

“I find Penguins at present the only comfort in life. One feels everything in the world so sympathetically ridiculous; one can’t be angry when one looks at a Penguin.” — John Ruskin, 1860

The book selections for this year’s Community Read all tell stories that explore special relationships between humans and one of the world’s most beloved animals…the PENGUIN!  
We hope you will enjoy reading and learning more about these amazing creatures with us.

No holds copies of this year’s selections will be on display and available for you to borrow at all 6 of our locations starting March 1st.
If you stop by your location and the no holds copy is checked out please do consider placing a hold on either the print or digital copies so you can read them once a copy becomes available.  Follow the links listed below the book covers to see these titles in our catalog.
In addition to this year’s book selections you will find information about related library programming and links to other fun penguin activities and videos at the bottom of this page.  New content will be added to this section throughout this year’s Read.     

For The Adults

Our adult fiction selection this year is…
How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior.
Summary: “A curmudgeonly but charming old woman, her estranged grandson, and a colony of penguins proves it’s never too late to be the person you want to be in this rich, heartwarming story from the acclaimed author of Ellie and the Harpmaker. Eighty-five-year-old Veronica McCreedy is estranged from her family and wants to find a worthwhile cause to leave her fortune to. When she sees a documentary about penguins being studied in Antarctica, she tells the scientists she’s coming to visit-and won’t take no for an answer. Shortly after arriving, she convinces the reluctant team to rescue an orphaned baby penguin. He becomes part of life at the base, and Veronica’s closed heart starts to open. Her grandson, Patrick, follows Veronica to Antarctica to make one last attempt to get to know his grandmother. Together, Veronica, Patrick, and even the scientists learn what family, love, and connection are all about.”
Author Website

This year we also selected an Adult Non-Fiction book…
The Penguin Lessons: What I Learned From a Remarkable Bird
by Tom Michell.

Summary: In 1975, twenty-three-year-old Englishman Tom Michell follows his wanderlust to Argentina, where he becomes assistant master at a prestigious boarding school. But Michell’s adventures really begin when, on a weekend in Uruguay, he rescues a penguin covered in oil from an ocean spill, cleans the bird up, and attempts to return him to the sea. The penguin refuses to leave his rescuer’s side. “That was the moment at which he became my penguin, and whatever the future held, we’d face it together,” says Michell in this charming memoir.  Michell names the penguin Juan Salvador (“John Saved”), but Juan Salvador, as it turns out, is the one who saves Michell.

After Michell smuggles the bird back to Argentina and into his campus apartment, word spreads about the young Englishman’s unusual roommate. Juan Salvador is suddenly the center of attention–as the mascot of the rugby team, confidant to the dorm housekeeper, co-host of Michell’s parties, and an unprecedented swimming coach to a shy boy. Even through the collapse of the Perónist government and amid the country’s economic and political strife,
Juan Salvador brings joy to everyone around him–especially Michell, who considers the affectionate animal a compadre and kindred spirit.

Witty and heartwarming, The Penguin Lessons is a classic in the making, a story that is both absurd and wonderful, exactly like Juan Salvador.

Author Interview

For The Kids

Our picture book selection for this year is…
The Old Man and the Penguin by Julie Abery.

Summary: The heartwarming true tale of the friendship between and a man and the penguin he saved. João finds a penguin, soaked in oil, on the shore. Barely moving on the sand, too tired to swim, too weak to stand … João must save this little guy. Without his help, he’ll surely die. João takes the penguin home. He cleans him, feeds him, and nurses him back to health – and the pair develop an unlikely bond. When the penguin is fully recovered, João knows it’s time to return him to the wild where he belongs. But the penguin has other ideas … When the heart is open, friendship can happen anywhere.

Author Website

• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 16
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18
• Chapter 19
• Chapter 20

Family Fun Night: Cute As A Button Penguin Art Edition
At the Moneta/SML Library
Thursday, April 29th at 6:00 PM
Create your own adorable penguin work of art (similar to the one pictured above) using buttons!  Space is limited.
Click on the red link above to visit our registration page.  

Penguin Videos

Live Penguin Cams

Additional Links
San Diego Zoo Penguin Camera
Georgia Aquarium African Penguin Camera
Mystic Aquarium Penguin Cameras

Penguin Watch
Penguin populations in Antarctica could be under threat from human impacts, including fishing and climate change. But scientists don’t know how many penguins are really out on the ice or how they spend their time. Using nearly 100 cameras, teams of scientists have amassed photos from across Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Now they need you–the citizen scientists–to help them count adult penguins, chicks, eggs, and other species present at each site throughout the year.  If you can click, you can tag a penguin!
It’s that #simple.

Penguin Crafts
Crochet Penguin Patterns
Pattern Option 1
Pattern Option 2
Pattern Option 3

We invite you to participate again this year in our annual Valentine’s For Vets Program! 
Show your support and appreciation for the men and women who have served in our armed forces by creating a homemade Valentine’s Day card for one of the military veterans who are currently being treated at the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Drop by any Bedford Public Library System location to pick up a “Take and Make” Valentine kit with your supplies.
Please drop off your card(s) no later than Monday, February 8th to ensure they arrive on time!

Virtual Parade of Trees
Photo Contest
Sponsored by the
Friends of the
Big Island Library

2nd Place Prize