My Penguin Osbert: Midi Edition    by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel & H. B. Lewis Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2010 (2005) Hardcover, Softcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch Perhaps you have had the same problem I used to have. Every Christmas I would tell Santa what I wanted, but I never exactly got the requested gift. So this time around I really spelled it out in detail so there would be NO MISTAKE! And, there wasn't! I got exactly what I asked for. I got a living, breathing penguin whose name was Osbert. Embarrassed as I am to admit this – I have to say THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE! It would have been better if Santa had left a stuffed, toy penguin under the Christmas tree. Now don't get me wrong, Osbert is really a cool little guy, but the key word here, is COOL! He loves playing outside when it is freezing, he insists on really cold baths, and he will only eat the stuff you find in Arctic waters. Living with Osbert was a bit of a chore. Go on, you can say it. This is what I asked for so now I had to live with it. That's what I kept telling myself. I had asked for Osbert and now I had him. Oh, lucky me! Up at the North Pole Santa and the elves must be having a good laugh, I thought. I even wrote Santa another letter volunteering to make a swap if he wanted to give me something else. I was not surprised, though, when my offer was ignored by Santa. Then one day I took Osbert to visit a special Antarctic World display at the zoo. There was all sorts of neat stuff in the big viewing area and lots of other penguins too. Osbert jumped in and had so much fun playing in the Penguin Place that I knew he was sad when I said it was time for us to go home. Now, I realized at this point that Osbert might actually be happier here with his own kind. When I asked him if he wanted to stay, he looked down and nodded his head. Well, that settled that! I was a little lonely without Osbert but I knew this was all for the best. And, most importantly, I learned a new lesson – Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it! I think you'll really love my story and the cute pictures showing me and Osbert having all kinds of fun. (At least, Osbert was having fun!) Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews