Penguins!

November 25, 2022

PreS-Gr 4-With bright watercolor illustrations and kid-friendly language, Gibbons introduces young readers to zoology concepts, describing where and how penguins live, what they eat, and how they hatch their young. VERDICT In this informative new and reissued edition, readers learn about some of the 17 different kinds of penguins.-Kimberly Olson Fakih

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 1998
Gr 2-4-Another in the parade of books from Gibbons's busy pen and paintbrush, this one deals with those fascinating denizens of the Southern Hemisphere. The simply written, clear text describes penguin physiology, geographic location (via a color-coded map), lifestyles, and nesting/brooding habits (with an emphasis on emperor penguins). It concludes with a discussion of survival difficulties and efforts being made to protect these birds. A final page gives some statistics and drawings of the five species not shown elsewhere in the book. The full-color illustrations are sketchbook style and some children may find it difficult to differentiate among the various crested varieties, while the little blue penguin is shown as blue all over (despite assurance in the text that "All penguins have...white bellies."). The oversized format, brightly colored illustrations, and large type font result in an eye-catching appearance that will attract young researchers and the curious minded alike. Even if you already own Bobbie Kalman's Penguins (Crabtree, 1995) or Annette Barkhausen's Penguins (Gareth Stevens, 1994), you should make room for this title.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

January 1, 1999
Illustrated with Gibbons's characteristic artwork, this book takes a quick look at all seventeen different species of penguins, with a more detailed look at emperor penguins and how they raise their chicks. The text ends with a brief discussion of some of the dangers facing penguins and the recent efforts to protect these amazing birds.

(Copyright 1999 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 1998
Gr. 2^-4. With her trademark directness and simplicity, Gibbons introduces those irresistibly appealing birds, the penguins. As her pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings reveal, these nonflyers share a basic body shape, but lined up alongside each other across the pages, they are seen to possess distinctive feathering that distinguishes the 17 species from each other. A color-coded map of the Southern Hemisphere pinpoints where each type of penguin resides, and depictions of the birds at sea and aboard ice floes accompany facts about their food, predators, and lifestyle. Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of the emperor penguins is their brooding habit: the male guards the female's single egg in his brood pouch. After generating interest about the penguins and their lifestyles, Gibbons concludes by alerting readers to the environmental hazards that threaten the birds' well-being. ((Reviewed November 1, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)