BEST OF PALS. Dynamic duo Penguin and Peep tackle a crucial part of growing up: making friends and learning how to socialize.

What do a shy penguin and an outgoing baby bird have in common? They both want to make friends! Fairchild-based author and artist Monica Theiler has finished her second successful Kickstarter to fund production of the latest volume in her kids book series, Penguin & Peep: Making Friends.

The colorfully-illustrated Penguin & Peep books tell stories of two creatures: a shy Penguin living in a zoo and his best friend Peep, an effervescent baby bird. Making Friends, which is aimed at readers 5 to 8 years of age, is the third in the Penguin & Peep Series. Theiler — who uses her maiden name, Monica Bruejes, as a pen name – has been an illustrator for more than a decade, and more than 20 titles feature her artwork.

This project, which was successfully funded in less than 48 hours, adapts the visual stories of the original book into books with bigger images and text, perfect for reading out loud to children. The text in the books uses a digitized version of Monica’s own handwriting style, a distinctive visual style that is a nod toward the original way of inking comic books.

"In hindsight, growing up I think I had a lot of social anxiety. I hope that children who are like me will be encouraged to get outside their comfort zone."

MONICA BRUEJES

AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR

Monica created the characters Penguin & Peep during downtime as a caricature artist at the San Diego Zoo, where she experimented with drawing animals. The books feature an array of animals, including monkeys, an octopus, a panda, and more. “I like Patty the Panda because Penguin really wants to be friends with her, but he doesn’t know how. She’s very accepting, and even though he gets worked up about it, she’s happy to meet him!”

“In hindsight, growing up I think I had a lot of social anxiety,” Monica said. “I hope that children who are like me will be encouraged to get outside their comfort zone. I also hope it’ll inspire outgoing kids to be patient with their shy friends and keep reaching out to them.”

Although the Kickstarter has fully funded and is concluded, there is still some time left to make a late pledge to get the book with all of the exclusive Kickstarter rewards. After that, the book will go on sale in the fall.

Learn more about the author and her projects on Kickstarter and on her website, artistmonica.com. You can purchase the e-books on Amazon.