No Huddles for Heloise
by Deborah Kerbel
illustrated by Udayana Lugo
Orca Book Publishers, 2025
ISBN 9781459839106 $21.95 (hc), 32 pp, ages 5 – 7
orcabook.com
All of Heloise’s penguin friends and family like to huddle together to keep warm during the long Antarctic winters. They do not understand why Heloise doesn’t like crowds, huddles, or even close-talkers! They do know that she loves sledding, giving rocks to her friends, and eating fish popsicles, but she always prefers to be in her own personal space (because huddles give her the collywobbles). After failing to convince Heloise to join the safety and warmth of the huddle, the penguins stop inviting her and Heloise then attempts to find a new place to live where her needs are better met. On her journey, she meets animals that are not friendly and has a close encounter with a hungry leopard seal. She soon realizes she needs to return to her community. Once her friends and family understand Heloise’s anxiety about being in a huddle, they come up with a solution. They devise a way for Heloise to join the huddle but still maintain her personal space.
Classroom Connections: No Huddles for Heloise is a story about a young penguin with definite introvert tendencies told in a simple narrative text interspersed with speech bubbles from various members of the penguin colony. It would make a great read-aloud and a valuable addition to a classroom collection of books that encourage social-emotional learning and acceptance of personal differences among members of a group. The colourful illustrations are a delight. They fit perfectly with the text and enhance the book’s lively, humorous tone.
Review by Brenda Boreham.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Spring 2026 issue.
