Penguins!: Strange and Wonderful

Strange and Wonderful

by Laurence Pringle, Meryl Henderson

A new edition to the acclaimed Strange and Wonderful series. The seventeen species of penguins come in all sizes and are fascinating in many other ways. The little blue penguin, the smallest, stands about sixteen inches high, and the emperor penguin, the largest, stands almost four feet tall. Some penguins are named for how they look, such as the black-footed penguin, while others are named for where they live, such as the Galapagos penguin. Laurence Pringle's informative book, with stunning illustrations by Meryl Henderson, introduces young readers to the life and behavior of one of nature's most remarkable birds.

Genres: Science, Animals, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about the 17 different species of penguins. It tells about the characteristics they have in common and many they do not. The illustrations are very nice and informative. I never knew there were so many penguins. They are classified into several groups: The crested, the banded, the brush-tailed, the giant, the little blue and the yellow-eyed. Amazing! This book tells of the different environments these southern hemisphere flightless birds live in. Very interesting! Penguins live in places southern hemisphere lands of Antarctica, South America, Australia, Africa, New Zealand, Tasmania and many other small islands. This book tells about how penguins porpoise and the body characteristics that allow them to be like torpedos when they swim. It explains what makes them different from birds that can fly---bones that are not hollow. It tells about how they hunt, what they eat, how they spend their days, how they groom themselves, and how they mate. It tells about their tobogganing, how they build their nests, how they like or don't like to socialize with other penguins, what kinds of sounds they make, and how smelly their colonies can be. It tells about their 'slender walk,' how many eggs they lay, what the babies look like, how they eat, and who their predators are and how they are endangered. It tells about the penguin creches and molting. A very interesting and informative book with several Internet sources listed.

www. penguins.cl/
www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/penguins/
www.siec.k12.in.us./west/proj/penguin...
www.penguin.net.nz

[Carolynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penguins are apparently popular animals (say that fast three times) in elementary schools, judging by the number of pre-service teachers who have developed penguin units in my library during the last ten years.
This book is the best one we have purchased in my library (an instructional materials center--we have 21 titles for children). It clearly delineates the different species of penguins, including penguins that live to the north in warmer climates (!) and includes a map showing where each specie lives. The life cycle is explained (compare to the film _March of the Penguins_) and there is a warning against damaging the habitat through tourism. An end note includes some websites for further information. Illustrations by Meryl are both beautiful and informative. This book would be a great addition to any elementary level collection.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

12/09: This book is the one that helped us best understand the classifications of penguins.

Amazon Book Description:
A new edition to the acclaimed Strange and Wonderful series. The seventeen species of penguins come in all sizes and are fascinating in many other ways. The little blue penguin, the smallest, stands about sixteen inches high, and the emperor penguin, the largest, stands almost four feet tall. Some penguins are named for how they look, such as the black-footed penguin, while others are named for where they live, such as the Galapagos penguin. Laurence Pringle's informative book, with stunning illustrations by Meryl Henderson, introduces young readers to the life and behavior of one of nature's most remarkable birds.

[Tye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see how this book can be used as a reference for a book report for children 4th thru 6th grade maybe.

It is packed with a lot of information.

I enjoyed the parts about how the penguins feed their young and think kids would like knowing that birds have a different name for their feces: guano.

I loved the illustrations. And, it had its highlights.

Bu, definitely more of a reference than a read aloud.

[Maya Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great educational book for older elementary students. I enjoyed this book because the illustrations are fun, it goes through a wide range of the different penguins, and it shows the different countries penguins live on. Penguins are one of the most popular types of birds, yet many people don't realize there are so many different types and ranges of them. This book could open up a bigger assignment, such as a report on a specific type of penguin, or penguins in general.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly informative and wonderfully illustrated book on penguins. Excellent for school reports for about 3rd grade and up.

[Alexandria K · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book you learn about penguins. I learned how penguins poop. I also learned that emperor and king penguins don't make nests for their eggs. I liked the pictures.

[Kiddo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the 'environmentalist' page with oil covered penguins at the end, another hit from this series. Wide breadth of information.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooh, I love these illustrations. This is a real favorite! And the pages that clearly show the 5 different categories of penguins has really help DD and me learn each of the 17 penguin species.