No Huddles for Heloise

Heloise lives in a very crowded burrow down at the bottom of the world. Like other penguins, she enjoys sledding, ‘fish popsicles’, and collecting rocks, but, unlike the other penguins, she likes ‘personal space’.

The fact that penguins live in a tightly-knit group for heat and protection from predators such as seals are survival details that do not deter Heloise from asking her penguin mates for “a little space, please!”

Because she does not like "close talkers", "hullabloo" and "busy elevators", when her friends call out that its huddle time, Heloise deflects all invitations with a string of creative excuses like “Sorry, gotta take my fish for a walk” or “Too busy polishing my rock collection”. After a while, they stop inviting her. She becomes unsure as how to let her friends know that she cherishes their invitations as much as she loves staying home.

Heloise's confusion leads her to question herself and if her being different will allow her to still be part of her community. She decides that she should search for a new home.

Propelled by this decision, she sets out, all alone, on the hunt for a new home. In her travels, she happens upon other creatures whose reactions to her questions make her realize that "nowhere feels as good as home".

Upon her return to the burrow, the community welcomes her warmly. However, she still feels confusion as to "why can't she enjoy huddling with them?"

When a note from her friends is slid under her door, she is asked to join in a huddle that evening as a surprise awaits. The spectacular 'surprise' is a space bubble huddle, an action which reveals to Heloise that her friends accept her for who she is -- a unique penguin.

No Huddles for Heloise is a thoughtful, gentle story of a penguin who struggles with being 'different' from her friends. It is a wonderful collaboration between Deborah Kerbel and Udayana Lugo, one that has resulted in a story that seamlessly intertwines factual information about penguin habitat and behaviour with a nuanced connection to human needs for acceptance and inclusion.

Bold, expressive brushlike illustrations, vibrant with bright colour, perfectly balance the actions of the characters and, at the same time, complement the minimal sentence structure of the text. The story is easily accessible for a young reader, and the playful use of expressive font keeps the action of the narrative moving forward.

No Huddles for Heloise, an honest, heartfelt story of friendship, support, acceptance and inclusiveness, will be a must-have addition to anyone’s collection.