Product Description

Fabulous facts about nature's most devoted dad, in an utterly charming picture book.

Can you imagine spending the winter outdoors in Antarctica without anything to eat? That’s just what the male Emperor penguin does. While his mate is off swimming and catching loads of fish, he stands around in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months, keeping it warm and waiting for it to hatch. Welcome to the story of the world’s most devoted dad!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #288907 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-26
• Released on: 2002-08-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780763618711
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Can you imagine spending a freezing cold Antarctic winter outside, with no food for miles around--maybe even a hundred miles? This is what the male emperor penguin does. After his mate has laid her egg, she takes off for the ocean where she swims about, getting plump on squid and fish, while Papa stands around keeping the egg warm for two entire months! Martin Jenkins's remarkable picture book about an extraordinary bird is sure to be an immediate favorite with children of all ages. In a compelling example of truth being stranger than fiction, he tells the story of the unusual habits of this largest of the penguin family (there are 17 kinds!). Jenkins's enthusiastic fascination for this polar phenomenon comes through loud and clear in his changeable font sizes and humorous personal asides ("So that means two whole months with an egg on your feet and no dinner! Or breakfast or lunch or snacks. I don't know about you but I'd be very, very miserable.") Jane Chapman's fantastic, realistic illustrations of the penguins will make readers chuckle, just as they would at the zoo upon seeing the real thing. Don't miss this book--it's wonderful! (Ages 4 to 9) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
"The lively text and naturalistic acrylics of the frozen environment will attract many readers to this tale of one of nature's unique parenting arrangements, the emperor penguin," PW said. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Grade 1-3-Emperor penguin paternity is presented in a positive light in this genial picture book. After a female lays an egg in late autumn, her mate does his utmost to keep his offspring warm while she goes off to spend the winter feeding in the sea. He does not feed himself for two months-well after his hatchling arrives. After the chick hatches, the mother returns and both parents take turns looking after it. It is a true labor of love at the bottom of the world. The anthropomorphizing and Jenkins's repeated asides ("I don't know about you but I'd be VERY, VERY miserable" or "YUK, you may think. YUM, thinks the chick, and gobbles it all down") undermine the book's value as nonfiction. Type sizes change with the mood of the action. Factoids, written in small, italicized script, are interspersed throughout but do not interfere with the narrative flow. The endearing acrylic illustrations are largely naturalistic. Blue and purple backgrounds throughout convey a cold, even Antarctic, feel. Gail Gibbons's Penguins! (Holiday, 1998) covers much of the same material. Students who are wild about penguins and classrooms doing units on them will find The Emperor's Egg an action-packed read and an appealing choice to clue readers in on just how hard Emperor dads work. However, it isn't nonfiction in the true sense of the word.
Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Excellent for Dads to read to the Kids
This nature book is wonderful as it tells of the story emperor penguin's unique habits at the kids level and in their language. At the same time there are little footnotes which answer most of the 'why' questions from the kids that arise out of the text. ( so parents appear all knowing) The illustrations are beautiful. My daughter was so enthusastic about this book the I wanted to pop on the plane to Edinburgh, Scotland and show my daughter the Emperor penguins in real life. ( I think Antartica in the middle of winter isn't an option). Nevermind, perhaps Jenkins and Chapman will write about the little blue penguins, which are in Boston, next.

A gem for your collection
I collect books specifically about the emperor penguin breeding cycle. When I choose a book, I want the emperor penguin pictures to be fairly accurate (not cartoony or wacky) as well as beautiful, vivid, elegant, etc.. And I want the writing to reflect love for the story of these penguins.

I love this book.

Educating and humorous
What a fabulous book! I laughed out loud ... and actually learned a thing or two about Emperor penguins. A great choice for Father's Day - shows the importance of dads in bringing up little ones (penguins, in this case), which is refreshing. Makes a great read aloud for one-on-one, or in group settings, with just the right language to keep preschoolers interested while teaching them about penguins.