Dudley is a penguin - a very cuddly penguin. He's so cuddly that his brothers and sisters won't leave him alone.

Wherever he goes, they follow, demanding a cuddle. Fed-up with all this, Dudley goes looking for a place where he can play on his own.

After walking for some time, he comes to a little hut that looks just right and seems to be empty - so Dudley makes himself at home.

But the other penguins follow his waddleprints and find him. "Can we come in?" they ask. "No, you jolly well can't," says Dudley. "I'm very busy and I don't want to be disturbed." Alone again, he dives into the bath, tihinking how happy he's going to be on his own.

But then the man who owns the hut returns. "What an adorable penguin!" he exclaims, and he too wants a cuddle!

Dudley flees out into the snow ... Soon, he's lost and rather lonely. It's getting dark. He climbs a tall hill ... and there at the bottom are his brothers and sisters.

Dudley rushes down and they have the best huddling, waddling, cuddling session ever, until ... "Give us a cuddle!" The man appears and all the penguins, led by Dudley, turn and run!Jez Alborough was runner-up for the Mother Goose Award in 1985.

For Walker Books he has written and illustrated "Cupboard Bear", "Willoughby Wallaby", "Beaky", "Esther's Trunk", "Where's My Teddy?" and its sequel "It's the Bear!".