Emperor Penguin (Young Zoologist): A First Field Guide to the Flightless Bird from Antarctica

by Michelle LaRue, Pham Quang Phuc (Illustrator), Neon Squid

Overview

"Up close and personal with the world’s largest penguin... Informative and winning." — Kirkus

Take to the Antarctic ice to study emperor penguins in this beautiful nonfiction field guide for kids.

You might know that emperor penguins are the largest penguin species, but there’s so much more to learn about this flightless bird. Turn the pages to discover what makes them undertake epic journeys every year, and how scientists have spotted their poop from space! Filled with simple science and plenty of animal facts, this book also explains what makes emperor penguins such great ocean swimmers, and how their cute chicks manage to stay warm in freezing Antarctic conditions. It also looks at the conservation challenges these iconic animals face due to climate change and melting sea ice.

Written by penguin professor Dr. Michelle LaRue and featuring stunning illustrations by Pham Quang Phuc, Emperor Penguin (Young Zoologist) is part of an exciting new series of animal books from Neon Squid aiming to inspire the next generation of biologists and conservationists.

Also available: Humpback Whale, Giant Panda, African Elephant

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684492510
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/27/2022
Series:	Young Zoologist
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,064,566
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	IG960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dr. Michelle LaRue is a penguin professor and science communicator who teaches Antarctic Marine Science at Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha (University of Canterbury) in New Zealand. As well as penguins, Dr. LaRue studies seals and cougars, as well as the substantial conservation challenges they face.

Pham Quang Phuc is an illustrator from Vietnam. Quang Phuc has won lots of prizes in his career, including the Asian Children's Book Illustrator: Best in Fiction Award.

Editorial Reviews

"Up close and personal with the world’s largest penguin... Informative and winning." — Kirkus

"Bite-sized factoids about penguin feathers, feet, and food will stick in a child’s mind long after reading... Simple, charming, and to the point, this is a perfect primer for preschool to second grade naturalists." — School Library Journal

Praise for the Young Zoologist series:
"What makes this series stand out is that the illustrations, bite-sized facts, and clear labels make it easy for the youngest of readers to navigate the text and absorb the information there." — Booklist

"The well-illustrated Young Zoologist series guides readers through the lives and notable features of the spotlighted animals... prepares the young zoologist (aka the reader) for their upcoming adventure in the field, laying out tools necessary for investigating the animal. The bright, semi-realistic artwork could hold these titles on its own, but the easily digestible facts regarding life cycle, behavior, and conservation make the volumes well rounded. Each work is pragmatic in addressing the challenges these creatures face while helping aspiring zoologists learn ways to protect animals and their environments." —Booklist

From the Publisher

07/29/2022

PreS-Gr 2—Worried about teaching young children about all the unique places and creatures on Earth? This penguin tale is an excellent introduction to the South Pole and our feathered friends. It's part of a "Young Zoologist" series, adorable field guides geared to give quick snapshots of the world at large. The books share basics about different creatures, written by actual scientists who have distilled essential information about the animals they love. This one starts with a "fact file," a simple chart of penguin basics like height, weight, lifespan. It then moves on to a few pages of realistic illustrations paired with more specific animal facts. Those captions are short but informative, perfect for reading aloud. They instruct children without getting too technical. Bite-sized factoids about penguin feathers, feet, and food will stick in a child's mind long after reading. The illustrations perfectly complement the science. Fields of black penguin feathers hold captivating dimensions, looking like galaxies or warm blankets. The sea life is also adorable—krill has never looked so cute! VERDICT Simple, charming, and to the point., this is a perfect primer for preschool to second grade naturalists.—Cat McCarrey

School Library Journal

2022-05-25
Up close and personal with the world’s largest penguin.

Emperors, according to marine biologist LaRue, and Adélie penguins are the only ones of the clan’s 18 species that actually live in Antarctica. Emperors can dive deeper than any other bird, sport 12 different kinds of feathers, and may not be able to fly but are fine swimmers and even “pretty good climbers.” These and like juicy info-bits are scattered on pages festooned with images of adult and hatchling penguins enhanced with maps, portraits of the creatures' prey and predators (some killer whales are “partial to a penguin,” the author writes), current and extinct relatives, required clothing and gear for Antarctic researchers, and occasional humans that show scale (all the people are tan- or light-skinned). A final spread on the habitat threat posed by climate change puts a cap on the cuteness by featuring a droopy bird captioned “Reduced sea ice = unhappy penguins.” No one wants that, surely. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Informative and winning. (glossary, index) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews