The Emperor's Cool Clothes by Lee Harper

What a fun and timely reminder for today's kids that clothes don't make you cool!  In this updated twist of the original Hans Christian Anderson tale, Harper has created a dweeby cool Emperor using an Emperor Penguin!  Very clever indeed.  As a child other kids picked on him and made fun of him.  When he became emperor, he grew obsessed with looking totally cool and wearing the coolest clothes.

Well, you know how the story goes... and yes, he does get called out in the end while he's marching in the parade in all of his "finery".  But this really is an updated version that can reach a new generation of kids.  The illustrations are lively and fun and the text  doesn't drag - it flows well with a nice, quick pace.  And the illustrations are detailed and fun - such a wide range of cool characters.

The ideal book to use this winter in a storytime.  How can you go wrong with a penguin theme, especially when it's cold outside?!!