Former Washington Student Publishes Book About Penguins (Video)

Melissa Guion was clearly tickled to be back at her childhood library Wednesday reading to a roomful of pre-schoolers. 

The author and illustrator of the newly released Baby Penguins Everywhere (Philomel, 2012) told the curious young readers how she grew up in West Caldwell and attended Washington Elementary School.

She said she played on the playground there and planned to drive by after the program to see if it still looked like she remembered.

Baby Penguins Everywhere is Guion's first book in a three-book contract with Philomel, an imprint of Penguin Books. It was selected for The Original Art 2012 exhibition at the Society of Illustrators. 

The book tells the story of a lonely penguin who comes upon a magical top hat. When the penguin dons the hat, baby penguins start to appear everywhere, and those lonely days are gone.

Guion said the reason her book resonates with children is her drawing style. 

"I like to do my artwork pretty loose and I think it's something they can imagine doing,” she said.

Although she never studied art formerly, she has always dabbled in creative writing. 

After second grade, Guion attended Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, where her mother was a science teacher. She said she studied English at Yale, and took a job in finance upon graduation because it paid better than publishing jobs.

Guion, 41, settled in Brooklyn after college and never left. She’s the mom of a 6-year-old daughter named Holly. 

As an adult, she took a couple of drawing classes and hooked up with a major book agent who encouraged her to pursue children's books after seeing her art.

Her sketches of penguins caught the publisher's eye and she got to work.

"I like birds and I like penguins," she said. "I just think they're funny. They don't have expressions on their faces, but they have so much personality."

Learn more about Melissa Guion on her website and watch her demonstrate how to draw a penguin in 30 seconds in the video above.