Chilly Da Vinci – J. Rutland, NorthSouth Books, 9780735842830, 2018
Format Hardcover
Rating 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a starred review) 5
Genre: Picture book
What did you like about the book? I always like a story with a positive message for children and this book delivers. Our main character is Chilly Da Vinci, a penguin who would rather build inventions than do typical penguin things. Unfortunately, one of his inventions goes awry and he and a small group of friends become separated from home. They are stranded on an iceberg that is being circled (and chipped away at!) by an orca whale. Chilly now sees it as his mission to create an invention that will get him and his friends off the island and back home — preferably without any harm from the whale. The first few attempts do not work for Chilly and actually make their situation a little more dangerous. It does not help that a penguin named Vinnie continually ridicules Chilly’s efforts and convinces the others that Chilly can not possibly make something that will help them. Fortunately, Chilly does not give up and eventually creates the perfect invention to get them all back home.
The important takeaway with this book is that Chilly is not successful on his first attempts but does learn from his mistakes and continues to think about what will work. He looks at the world around him and uses his knowledge to find a solution. The author also provides some information about Leonardo da Vinci and his many failures before he achieved success.
Anything you didn’t like about it? No
To whom would you recommend this book? This is a great message for children under the age of six. I can see younger children enjoying the silliness of the penguins but older children could really relate to the message of continually trying to do your best. Older children have had more experiences of attempts and failures so they will really be able to relate to this story.
Who should buy it? Public and elementary school libraries, daycares, preschools, nursery schools. Children of various ages will appreciate the message.
Where would you shelve it? Picture books
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” pile? Yes
Reviewer: Kristin Guay, Centerville Library, Centerville, MA
Date of Review: November 6, 2018
Youth Services Book Review 
You must be logged in to post a comment.