The Second Sky

By Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley, Little Hare, 2017.

‘Great things happen when we reach for the sky.’

Little Gilbert is a dreamer. He is a little penguin with big clumsy feet and small little wings and he can’t fly up to where the other birds soar; where he wants to be. The Second Sky is a delightful story about one penguin’s determination and drive to not give up on his dream at any cost. But what Gilbert discovers is that there are some things that he cannot be, just like a person with brown eyes can’t ever have blue eyes, in the same way that fish can’t climb trees.

On one of his attempts to fly like the albatross, Gilbert climbs high up the mountain and throws himself off, only to find himself…slipping…spinning…stumbling…tumbling down to the bottom and beyond into the sea, where he tumbles…bubbles and sinks. Here underneath the surface of the ocean he finds another world similar and equally as beautiful as the world above the surface of the water.

Gilbert overcomes his obstacles, discovers his hidden talents, and learns to fly under the sea. He spreads his wings and…

Awards

Shortlisted for Children’s Picture Book of the Year 2018.