I Can’t Can Fly written and illustrated by Fifi Kuo is one of the six books on the shortlist for the 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize.

The judges describe it as a beautiful book, with a lovely sense of movement. Though the story has been done before Fifi has transformed it. They admired her ‘fantastic’ drawing skills, noting that every penguin is different.

Here Fifi Kuo introduces her book and discusses one of her favourite illustrations.

I am writing this in the exhausting, suffocating heat of Taiwan. My brain is scorched. I long to feel cold. I imagine diving deep into cool water. I don’t actually like swimming but I do find oceans fascinating and mysterious. I like the sunlight under water with sparkles bouncing off bubbles.

I have never seen penguins in the wild although they are one of my favourite creatures. To get to know them, I watched and re-watched wildlife films and videos of penguins on YouTube. A good way to do research! As I watched I became enchanted by the way they move, fall into the water and the shapes they create in water as they swim so effortlessly. I also love the way the parents look after their babies.

I didn’t do a lot of sketches before I started the book. I just watched and studied and in this spread I imagined myself in the cool water looking up into the light, encircled by fish with birds looking down on me. The composition came to me as if I was in a dream. I work quickly so I can put my thoughts onto paper easily. I wanted the penguins to be caressed by light and swimming together at the centre of their world. I hope that I have created a closeness between the father and his baby. The father is right by the little penguin’s side showing him the beauty of ocean and also showing him what he can do. I hope that with this simple drawing I’ve created something beautiful.