Kerstin Schoene studied communication design at Bergische University Wuppertal, Germany. She enjoys using pencil, chalk and watercolours, but her favourite medium lately is her graphics tablet. She illustrates for various publishers, and writes and illustrates her own children's books. She lives in Haan, Germany, under the watchful eye of a furry friend.

"This poor little penguin yearns to soar above the clouds, but his inability to fly has left him deflated. His quirky tale shows how friends can help each other achieve their dreams. The crowd of carefully drawn animals - an elephant, a hippo, a zebra, and more - highlight diversity, and the interactive nature of the book - the characters give the reader instructions on how to help the penguin - encourages adventurous innovation."
— Foreword Magazine

"As a book originally written in German, the translation is impeccable as the book allows the illustrations to do most of the talking. The text is sparse but effective in storytelling, and I appreciated the opportunity to gaze at Schoene's beautiful illustrations. Her characters are full of animated expression and textured detail. There is an excellent use of white space, creating a sense of loneliness around the sad penguin, and that space becomes brighter and fuller as the friends gather to help out. The full-bleed style of illustration helps as well to give the impression of endless possibility to the quest. Young readers will enjoy identifying all of the animals found in the mountain of friends, and they will giggle at the clever use of levels and positions in which the animals are found."
Recommended"
— CM Magazine

On Resource Links' Best of 2013 list