Have You Seen Mikki Olsen?
Alex Macdonald
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (First Editions)

Penguin appears to spend much of the time each day carrying out the three tasks listed on the To Do List that is fixed to the wall – fishing, chopping lots of wood, and buying sticky icky fish. No matter where he goes or what he does, the penguin has his much loved pink teddy Mikki Olsen as his companion.

One day a sticky icky fish gets stuck to Mikki Olsen’s posterior and when the penguin then sits on the teddy, Mikki sticks to his bottom, unbeknown to the weary penguin who goes home and falls fast asleep.

The following morning the penguin realises his teddy is missing so he searches here, there and everywhere including inside a whale’s mouth. (Children will relish being in the know about where the teddy is at every turn of the page).

Come nightfall the exhausted searcher flops down on his back in the snow and in so doing creates the means for him to discover Nikki Olsen’s location. All’s well when, having greeted his lost teddy and promised to be a better carer henceforward, the two return home for some well-earned shut eye.

The combination of spare text and snowy scenes with amusing details make Alex Macdonald’s debut a delight for sharing with young listeners.