Penguins

Zoobooks Series

by John Bonnett Wexo

This hands-on book has simple experiments that let kids see, for themselves, how a penguins heavy body is better for swimming than that of a flying bird, or how a small wing is better for swimming than a large one, or why a penguin cannot walk like other birds. Don't worry, though, we leave the Antarctic winter to their imaginations

Genres: Science

18 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

John Wexo is best known for authoring and developing Zoobooks educational children’s books on wildlife and science.

Reviews

[Jenny T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emperor penguins are the largest penguins while Little Blues are the smallest. All live in the southern hemisphere only, including in some warm areas around the equator, in South America and Africa. They prefer living in the ocean at all times, but must come ashore in order to lay eggs. Even though there's an estimated population of 100 million penguins, human populations can potentially endanger their food supply.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Zoobook on penguins has really nice illustrations and great photographs. Unlike other penguin books, it mentions that there are at least 18 different kinds of species: Snares-crested, king, emperor, macaroni, royal, gentoo, white-flipped, magellanic, little-blue, galapagos, peruvian, yellow-eyed, erect-crested, fiordland crested, adelie, blackfooted, rockhopper, and chinstrap. It tells about the anatomy of penguins that allows them to be such great water birds. It tells about their friendly personalities toward humans. It talks about their eggs and chicks, how penguins feed, and penguin predators. There are a few mini experiments that can be done to understand penguins and why they are the way they are.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wexo B. John. Zoobooks. Wildlife Education, 1998.

Each magazine is packed with current scientific facts, amazing photography and beautiful illustrations that will focus on one type of animal. It also has fascinating articles about the animal’s physical features, how they survive, where they live and their social capabilities. In addition, there are so many innovative hands on activities like, graphs, charts, mazes, and fun crossword puzzles. I would use the Zoobooks series for my 1st -5th graders to research facts for an animal report or project. I would also recommend this magazine for any child who may be a reluctant reader.
Target audience: 6-12 (Magazine – April & May)

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed having a copy of Zoobooks, Penguins in my classroom so the children can see pictures of how penguins live and we can talk about where they live, what they eat and expand their knowledge about an animal that does not live in our part of the world. We also looked up more pictures on the Internet to show them the many types of penguins and how they swim instead of fly.