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: #100678 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-26
• Released on: 2002-08-26
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Amazon.com
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

A classic in the making
I am a secondary literacy coach and I am always very concerned about having my daughters read nonfiction as well as fiction. These high quality books from Candlewick Press are an impressive series. The Read and Wonder books encorporate both excellent text and engaging illustrations. They are great read-aloud titles and I have used them in guest readings with my older daughter's preschool class. Next week I am going to take The Emperor's Egg with me. I know that the class will love it as much as my daughter does.

Great Non-fiction Book for the Preschool Set
I purchased this book for my three year old after I took him to see "March of the Penguins." He loves it! It's a really great companion for this movie as it follows the story line almost exactly. For a long time he had to carry it around the house with him everywhere - even to bed at night. This book has great illustrations. It is a little "text heavy" for his attention span - but it's easy to just skip over some of the more "science -y" parts.

good companion for the 'March of the Penguins' movie
I have a penguin-mad 4 yr old who can't understand why I can't go buy him the 'March of the Penguins' dvd yet. This book is a close substitute until that happens. It follows the movie pretty close without the munching and dying. He is pleased... for now. Very sweet and fun to read.