Break Out the Tux

I know you've waited all year for this one…

Yes, it is FINALLY World Penguin Day!

Mind you, this celebration should NOT be confused with Penguin Awareness Day which took place back on January 20th.

Anyway, in honor of this festive occasion, I thought I’d give a special shout-out to those wild and crazy Emperor Penguins…

Somehow, the females have worked it out that their male partners do all the egg incubating while they hang out at the sea spa for a couple of months.

Those males, God bless them, take the job pretty seriously. In fact, they don’t even leave the nest to eat for, like, 62 days. So they even sacrifice their beer guts to the cause. And then it gets even better –

Once the little chick hatches, the male Emperor feeds it with milk that he produces…

in his esophagus!

Well, enjoy breakfast!

Oh, and one more thing while I've got the chance…

Illustrators – please cease and desist with those “penguins hanging out with Santa at the North Pole” pictures.

You know who you are.

You know it is wrong.

So. Stop. It.

We’d rather see a polar bear chomping down on one of Blitzen’s ham hocks than one more sorry, misplaced bird.

Okay, maybe that’s just me.

But still.

PROMPT: What the world needs now is penguin love sweet love! Play around penguin-style by pecking out a picture book draft. You won’t find a more adorable subject. And for those writers who spout nonsense of the “I can’t draw” variety – Really? They are bowling pins with wings – you have NO excuse.