Book Review: Patti Pelican And The Gulf Oil Spill

My family and I recently received a copy of the new children's storybook, Patti Pelican and The Gulf Oil Spill written by Lynda Wurster Deniger and illustrated by Paulette Ferguson.


Patti Pelican and The Gulf Oil Spill is the story of Patti Pelican and her friend Sammy Seagull, who spent their days living the life along the Gulf Coast. Fishing was good, and they a had human buddy, Captain Charley who fished with his boat, the Salty Seas. One morning, word gets out that there has been an explosion and oil is leaking in the Gulf. Captain Charley and his fishing friends do all they can to help, but it's not enough - many birds are getting covered in oil when they are fishing to eat, including Patti Pelican and Sammy Seagull. This illustrated book shares the story of the birds, and what was done to help them. The hardcover book also comes with an audio CD that has a little sing along song (the lyrics are at the end of the book).

We read a lot of picture books around here, and as a parent I've read aloud plenty of frou-frou stories that really make no sense. I like to read books that help kids learn a little something here and there while still having fun, because I feel every moment is a chance to learn something new. Patti Pelican and The Gulf Oil Spill was a way for me to explain to my daughter more about the Gulf Oil Spill, with it not being too, shall we say, horrific for her to learn about. You and I, as adults, know that there was a ton of damage done to the wildlife down there, with many birds, turtles, and other animals losing their life needlessly, but that's WAY too much for a small child to hear about.

I appreciated at the end of the book there was a little epilogue, where the author talked about some of the ways kids had helped the birds in the Gulf Oil Spill - one had a lemonade stand that collected over $500 before naptime! These kids helped make a difference, and I feel the book was another way to help show my daughter that every little she can do to help others, makes a difference too. Who knows what wonderful things our children will grow up to do?

The sing a long is cute - she's still singing "Rub-A-Dub, two birds in a tub". lol The illustrations fit perfectly with the story, and all in all, I thought it was a great little book that I hope will be found on many library's shelves. If you'd like to read more about the author and learn more about Patti Pelican and friends, you can visit her website here.

Patti Pelican and The Gulf Oil Spill written by Lynda Wurster Deniger and illustrated by Paulette Ferguson is a hardcover full cover children's storybook published by HIS Publishing. 36 pages long, the suggested cover price is $19.95.

Please note that I received a copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.