The Penguin Lessons
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4.4 • 57 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
The unique, moving and heartwarming true story of an unlikely friendship which captured imaginations around the world . . .
'I can't remember the last time I read a book that made me smile so continuously' 5***** Reader Review
'How could a penguin transform so many lives? Read it and see. You'll not regret it' 5***** Reader Review
'Delightful, uplifting, enjoyable, fun and beautifully written' 5***** Reader Review
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Tom Michell is in his roaring twenties: single, free-spirited and seeking adventure. He has a plane ticket to South America, a teaching position in a prestigious Argentine boarding school, and endless summer holidays.
What he doesn't need is a pet. What he really doesn't need is a pet penguin.
But while on holiday in Uruguay he spots a penguin struggling in an oil slick and knows he has to help. And then the penguin refuses to leave his side . . .
Clearly Tom has no choice but to smuggle it across the border, through customs, and back to school. He names him Juan Salvador.
Whether it's as the rugby team's mascot, the housekeeper's confidant, the host at Tom's parties or the most flamboyant swimming coach in world history, Juan Salvador transforms the lives of all he meets - including Tom, who discovers a compadre like no other . . .
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AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 2
'A much-beloved tale about a much-beloved bird . . . Heart-warmingly eccentric' Guardian
'So touching that I didn't want it to end. I really loved this book' Michael Bond, creator of Paddington
'Charming' Daily Mail
'One of the most touching tales we've read all year' Heat
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this lively and endearing memoir, Britain-born Michell narrates an unexpected encounter on a Uruguayan sojourn in the 1970s, and its surprising consequences. The 23-year-old Michell is en route to his position as an English teacher at a boarding school in Argentina when he happens upon a beach littered with thousands of migrating Magellanic penguins that had been felled by an oil slick dumped at sea. Sickened by the devastating spectacle, Michell decides to save the life of the lone living penguin. He transports the "tar-sodden" bird back to his temporary apartments, where, undeterred by the frightened creature's nasty bite, he manages to clean his captive. In one of many miraculous moments, the penguin swiftly realizes that Michell is attempting to save him. Michelle names him Juan Salvado, John Saved, but also Juan Salvador, John Savior, because of his redemptive qualities. In clever, entertaining vignettes accompanied by simple yet engaging illustrations, Michell recalls secretly transporting Juan on a bus, nervously sneaking him through customs during a chaotic period in Argentina's history, and introducing the bird to a community of 300 boys and school personnel, where he becomes the rugby team mascot, an acrobatic (non-chlorinated) pool swimmer, and a beloved confidante to many who delight in feeding him sprats. Michell, now a grandfather living in Cornwall, interweaves introspection, travel tales, and penguin facts in a charming story that also reveals the charismatic nature of this gregarious and increasingly endangered species.
Customer Reviews
A magical and moving story
The only hard thing to believe is that it is true. I hope that St George’s College has erected a little statue to Juan Salvador. Thank you Tom Michell for sharing it with us.
Enthralling story
What a delightful book this is! Easy to read and I guarantee you will quickly come to love Juan Salvado and maybe even shed a tear as I did when. His story came to an end
The Penguin Lessons
This has to be 5 stars. It is the most beautiful book that I have ever read.
Wonderfully written, one can feel that you are there.
It is so much more than a story about a penguin but I fell in love with Juan Salvador. How could one not?
After I finished the book, I went straight back to the beginning and read it again.
Thank you for sharing your story.