The Emperor Pengin's New Clothes by Janet Perlman was a huge disappointment for me. The cover art shows a penguin clothed in a patterned top, scarf, wig, crown, and long cape. Three penguins seem to be looking on with adulation. I looked at the cover and wondered how Perlman would add her own twist to this folktale. She adds nothing to the story but penguins, far as I can tell. I felt cheated when I finished reading the story. This was essentially the same folktale as Hans Christian Anderson's original, first published in 1837.
How is it that Scholastic Inc. can publish this without any credit to the original? It's only polite. The title and author on the cover implied to me that a funny new variation of this classic was in store. But no. It's basically the same story with penguins.
