Review by Booklist Review
Penguins remain a perennial favorite of children, and there is no shortage of informational books about these remarkable, appealing birds. While most titles focus on the penguins of Antarctica, this installment in the Strange and Wonderful series highlights the diversity among the habitats, physical traits, and behaviors of the 17 amazingly adaptable species. Pringle's succinct text provides an engaging overview of penguin life, from the bird's supreme agility in the water to its extraordinary efforts to raise hatchlings, and it is filled with enough interesting facts that even penguin fans will find out something new. Henderson's realistic paintings vary between double-page spreads of penguins in their diverse Southern Hemisphere environments and finely detailed insets that echo the text. The final pages address the disastrous impact of water pollution, overfishing, and global warming on penguin populations and offer a list of Web sites where readers can find further information on penguins and their conservation.--Kristen McKulski Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 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 Adelie species. Libraries will want to own both titles.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) ""People love penguins!"" Indeed, there is quite a fascination with penguins lately, and a flurry of books and films emphasizing how cute, odd, or people-like they are. In the midst of this comes Pringle's refreshing, detailed account of penguin species -- all of them, not just the one or two that typically come to mind. Pringle's straightforward writing packs in an impressive amount of scientifically rich information about penguin species, habitats, where on earth they can be found, how they move, and the fascinating details of reproduction. The clear text assists readers in noticing the details in Henderson's illustrations, which include field guide-like renderings of penguin features as well as larger one- and two-page spreads that convincingly portray penguin locomotion. The book ends on a warning note about the effects of human-created pollution and global warming on penguin populations, and, finally, a call to action. A list of relevant websites is appended. Copryight 2007 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
