The Angry Little Puffin Wants to Be Seen as Who He Is

It’s tough to navigate feelings at any age, but especially when you’re little and can’t truly verbalize them. And there’s nothing worse than feeling misunderstood. Just ask the puffin. “Look at the funny little penguin!” and “What a silly-looking penguin!” Hearing this all day long is enough to make any little bird angry, especially when he is decidedly NOT a penguin.

The Angry Little Puffin by Timothy Young is the story of a puffin who is upset that he’s constantly mistaken for a penguin. Even the zoo has placed him with his flightless brethren, with only a small sign to distinguish the two. And nobody reads the sign.

The puffin tries to point out his ability to fly and that his natural habitat is clear on the other side of the globe. But people continue to mistake his black and white body for a penguin. The angry puffin starts to think about the injustices of penguin favoritism. Toys, movies, television… even comic books have the penguin as the protagonist! Where does the puffin fit in all this?

Just as The Angry Little Puffin declares his lot in life totally unfair, a little girl approaches him and declares: “Look, Daddy, it’s a puffin!” And suddenly, things look different. Suddenly, someone sees him for who he truly is. She knows he lives in the Atlantic Ocean. She knows that, like The Angry Little Puffin’s counterpart the penguin, puffins come in many species. She sees him for who he truly is, and upon finally being understood, The Angry Little Puffin relaxes and is happy. And the next time someone runs up to his zoo habitat and mistakes him for his penguin pals, he shrugs it off, still shining from the little girl who properly identified the puffin.

This book is great for talking about emotions with kids, and also showing how a friend with a kind word of understanding can change those emotions for the better.

Author Timothy Young has had a lot of fun jobs; he’s been an animator, puppet maker, toy designer, sculptor, art director, illustrator and graphic designer. Tim has designed for Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, the Muppets, Disney, the Simpsons and Universal Studios. Now he is the author/illustrator of five published picture books including I Hate Picture Books! and his latest, The Angry Little Puffin. He lives with his family on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Find out more about him and his books at www.creaturesandcharacters.com