Philip Giordano was born in 1980 in Savona, Italy. After studying art in Milan and Turin, he began working as an illustrator for children’s books and magazines, cartoons, and toy design. He spent six years in Tokyo, partly because of his Asian origins, but also because he has always loved the Japanese culture, particularly the Studio Ghibli animations. Giordano’s picture books have been translated into several languages. He has won multiple awards, including the International Award for Illustration at the Bologna Book Fair in 2010, the 2017 Andersen Prize for the best book for 0–6 year-olds, and Taiwan’s best young readers’ book of the year in 2021.

"An endearing tale of a young penguin named Milo who does not want to dive into the icy water of the pack ice to catch fish...When a whale appears and offers to take him on a trip, Milo readily accepts...In the faraway South Seas, Milo is amazed by the colors, the warmth of the water and the air, and most of all the friendly welcome he receives from the tropical animals who accept him for who he is"--