The Penguin Strut Fashion Show

Book excerpt: It was a cold day on Phillip Island. Phhhhreezing cold day! The little penguins were having a blast - of cold air that is. A monsoon of snow blew in from the southern coast of Australia. But the little penguins didn't mind. They were not cold at all. In fact, they adored phrrrrrigid air! Suddenly a fuss of fog began to roll up onto the island. "It is certainly very phogggy!" said Phred. and so begins the based-on-truth tale of some penguins, an oil spill, and a call to arms (or rather, knitting needles) as folks from around the world rush to make ski sweaters to keep the wee little penguins warm. How proud are the penguins of their colorful new attire? You'll see! The heart-warming book also includes the true Australian story this tale is based upon and how to knit your own little penguin sweater! A word from the Author... One cold winter's day I was at home having a cup of hot tea when I read the following item: The Tasmanian Conservation Trust is knitting sweaters for the tiny fairy (now called little) penguins that live on Phillip Island off Australia's southern coast. The penguins are often victims of frequent oil spills and illegal bilge pumping by commercial ships. The sweaters keep them from preening their feathers and ingesting oil, which can be fatal to them. They also keep the birds warm, which oil-slickened feathers can't do. The sweaters cover the tiny birds from top to bottom. They can be in crazy color combinations and patterns. Volunteers from as far away as Japan have knitted at least 1,000 and they need 2,000 more. They will be put in Oil Response Kits the Australian Parks and Wildlife Service put together. For the rest of the afternoon, my imagination flew south to picture penguins wondering what to make of their attire!