The Penguin Who Flew is an inspiring book about a persistent little penguin with an impossible dream.
It began in 2015 when Jason Kotecki wrote a book for grown-ups called Penguins Can’ Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist. His wife Kim inquired about the little penguin who was featured on the cover: Who is he? How did he end up with a balloon tied around his waist? What’s the deal with the other penguins at the bottom?
The questions intrigued Jason, and he started playing around with a backstory for our hero, who would eventually become known as Marty. The first draft sat in mothballs for several years. In 2024, Jason dusted it off and set to work bringing the story of Marty and his big dream to life.
The Penguin Who Flew became Jason’s first-ever children’s book and was launched on September 12, 2025, at Wondernite in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
🌟 bonus features
🎤 jason’s wondernite 2025 presentation
Before Jason unveiled The Penguin Who Flew publicly for the first time in Sheboygan at a special event called Wondernite, he gave a speech about lessons he’s learned about chasing dreams. He shared seven paintings he created to illustrate those lessons and themes represented in the book. The talk included stories from his own life as well as examples from the lives of Wilbur and Orville Wright, two brothers who also dreamed of flying. It’s an entertaining and uplifting presentation that will leave you inspired and encouraged to chase your own dream!
⚙️ video diary
Enjoy this special video diary Jason created to take you behind the scenes of the making of the project:
✏️ art process videos
Watch in wonder as each of the whimsical illustrations from the book comes to life before your eyes! Tip: Click the icon to see a list of all the videos in the playlist.
🐧 let’s draw marty!
In this video, Jason shows you how to draw Marty! (If you like this, check out his “Let’s Draw” series for even more of his silly step-by-step tutorials.)