Penguins Strange and Wonderful (edit title)

Shelfari edited the description of Penguins Strange and Wonderful Sunday, August 2 2009.

• Grade 2–5—This attractive picture book will satisfy report writers and browsers alike. Pringle describes how the "strange geese" were first sighted by Portuguese explorers off the coast of South America in 1520 and concludes with current concerns about global warming and pollution. In between is a wealth of information, from pooping to parenting, presented in an engaging, accessible narrative. Readers will be surprised to learn that there are 17 species of this flightless bird, the popular emperor in Antarctica being only one of many. "You probably did not think of the little blue penguin, which stands just sixteen inches tall. This smallest of all penguins lives along the coasts of southern Australia and southern New Zealand. It hops ashore into green forests, not snow and ice." The lifelike watercolor illustrations portray the subject with full spreads and boxed paintings accompanied by short, descriptive captions. Landscapes show the birds hunting squid, tobogganing on their bellies, and huddling to protect their eggs, while dramatic close-ups reveal the stiff spines in the mouth of a Rockhopper, two males fighting, a couple courting, and a poor "Macaroni penguin tangled in a fishing net." A map and chart show where the different species live. Sandra Markle's Growing Up Wild: Penguins (S & S, 2002) is of comparable difficulty and contains striking photographs, but deals only with the Adélie species. Libraries will want to own both titles.— Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.