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They waddled into stardom in National Geographic’s March of the Penguins film. These guys are now nature’s ROCK STARS! If you’re age 5, you’re probably as tall as an Emperor. But why do they throw up so much? March this way, and find out all!

National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2009

24 people are currently reading
436 people want to read

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Anne Schreiber

75 books8 followers

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5 stars
221 (44%)
4 stars
183 (36%)
3 stars
73 (14%)
2 stars
11 (2%)
1 star
12 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
Profile Image for Nathan Albright.
4,488 reviews162 followers
September 26, 2020
This book is one of many that shows a publisher trying to release a penguin book for its target demographic of young readers fascinated by cute penguins. Interestingly enough, this book is a bit out of date when it comes to talking about penguins, and adopts a different approach than most to talking about penguins. And this difference of approach and problems with accuracy are both something that are characteristic of the National Geographic approach to writing [1]. That is not to say that this is a bad book by any means, it is merely different from a lot of other books written about the same subject, and a key aspect of the difference is that this book focuses less on narrative and more on attempting to provide a vocabulary about animals and a lot of photos. Strangely enough, even though National Geographic has a purported purpose of increasing geographical knowledge, I tend to find its maps to be quite weak, but frequently its photography work is excellent and that is certainly the case here. Whether or not this book is to be recommended, it is by no means a difficult read and includes a lot of interesting information, even if that information is not always complete, as it does not separate the Rockhopper into northern and southern as has been done more recently.

In terms of its contents, this book is a short and descriptive work of around 32 pages, a pretty normal length for children's books. The book is divided into several unnumbered chapters that ask and the nseek to answer various questions that one would have about penguins in an attempt to be an informative guide about penguins for young science readers who are likely trying to complete some sort of report about the animal for their homework assignments or projects in school. These sections include a look at what penguins are, flightless birds well-designed for swimming. The book discusses where penguins live, in the Southern hemisphere but a broader area than is commonly thought, extending to New Zealand and the Galapagos Islands. The author asserts that penguins are not just any bird and also examine the question of what it is that they eat. Included are brief discussions of the penguins life on land, the birth of adorable chicks, and other chapters that include their long march, penguin parades, and penguins at play, after which the book ends with a picture glossary.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
10 reviews
October 3, 2018
In the book, National Geographic Kids: Penguins! By Anne Schreiber she immediately caught the readers attention by starting off with rhetorical questions and a full-page image. She then goes on to showing a map and locates where penguins live, brining a pretty big factor that this is an informational book. The rest of the book continues as it goes through the rest of the sub headings including: Not Just Any Bird, What’s for Dinner?, Life on Land, A Chick is Born, The Longest March, Penguin Parade, Penguin Play, and finally the Picture Glossary. The picture glossary is a great activity for kids to do at the end. It gives main vocab (with pictures) and then a fill in the blank section to go along with the vocab. As far as the main characters go, I think it’s pretty safe to say it’s the penguins.
My overall impression of the book was good! I thought it was a great informational book for children while keeping them interested in the pictures and fun text fonts. The only constructive opinion I do have however is that the word choice might be too advanced for younger children and I don’t see younger children staying interested while being read this book. But it does say its appropriate for first graders through fifth graders. The Table of Contents allows the reader to see exactly what they will be reading about in the book. In this Table of Contents, we can see the page numbers and the sub headings, ex. “What’s for Dinner?” is found on page 12. This is a great addition to a children’s books because it introduces them to using a table of contents and finding information. Schreiber also uses an amazing array of images that cover most of the pages causing the reader to be more engaged by catching their eyes. Another design element she used was space, she barely left any blank space throughout the entire book.
40 reviews
October 27, 2017
1. Awards the book has received (if any): None

2. Appropriate grade level(s): First grade through Fifth grade

3. Original 3-line summary: This book takes the reader through an informational journey concerning the life of a penguin. As many facts are presented describing penguins, the children are exposed to new vocabulary words. The book is filled with useful information and adorable pictures that engage the reader in the text.

4. Original 3-line review: The pictures in the informational text are enjoyable for all children because they capture the beauty of the penguin. Any child can gain knowledge from this text because the information is presented in an interesting manner.

5. 2-3 possible in-class uses: This book would be wonderful fro any geographical study or science study. Older grades can look deeper into what makes the penguin able to withstand the colder climates, and younger children can enjoy a unit study on different animals.
26 reviews
November 26, 2020
1. Awards:
2. Grade Levels: 1 - 3
3. Summary: This informational text about penguins start off with some questions to grab the reader's attention. It also thoroughly describes and explains their habitats, their food, their survival, and their reproduction.
4. Review: This book is packed with helpful information. There are a lot of vocabulary, little fun facts, and informational graphics.
5. This is a great book for introducing science, animals, habitats, global warming, etc. Students could read this book and write about a main idea and use the ample information in this book as supporting key details. Students could also read more books similar to this and do a science project about animal habitats or animal species.
21 reviews
November 21, 2019
This book provides a range of information on penguins. There is a map to show where they live, what they do, what they eat and much more. Photographs correctly display penguins.

I liked this text because it was very informative. The information was easy to read and follow in this text. Real images create a better understanding of the content being explained.

This book can be used as a mentor text in regards to identifying text features found within a text.

This text relates to other National Geographic Kids texts such as Frogs!, Wolves, and Tigers. Other penguin books such as And Tango Makes Three and Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere relate to this text.
29 reviews
November 2, 2024
This National Geographic Kids book about Penguins has great visuals and displays facts/information in a simple and attainable way. I love how each page has a picture or diagram to support what the text is talking about. This will help different learning preferences and allow students to understand and retain the content better. I would have this book in my classroom library for students to read since many students like reading informational texts like this and many students love to read about animals. This would be a good book to read aloud and do a think-aloud about different organizational structures found in informational texts.
Profile Image for Renate Deutsche Oma.
1,403 reviews
February 22, 2021
Excellent Early Reader for a child fascinated by Penguins. Easy to read and understand language. Fascinating facts. All 17 kinds of penguins pictured and labeled by height. Glossary. My first grade granddaughter is giving a book report on this fantastic book this week. Bridges First Grade math has been doing a Penguin unit - measurement and 10 facts. Granddaughter is the same height as an Emperor Penguin. Fascinating pictures with labels. Educational. Nice use of snap words and writing techniques. Attention getting chapter titles.
51 reviews
April 22, 2021
I gave this book a 4-star rating because its a very informational book. It gives very good descriptions of penguins and what their life is like. This book is all about penguins, what they look like, where they are from, what they eat, and so much more. This book would be great to show a 5-year-old. The pictures help a child out so much from this book. It's also a good book to learn about arctic life. This book also reminded me a lot of my grandma who use to LOVE penguins and that is one of the reasons I chose to read it.
12 reviews
April 25, 2021
This book is all about penguins! This National Geographic book tells us where penguins are located in the world and give a map which shows the equator and the south pole. It also gives a picture of what penguins look like and shows a diagram which points out specific things. This book also gives information on what penguins eat! I really enjoyed reading this book and found it very informational on penguins. This book wasn’t very diverse and that is just because it is talking about animals and not humans. I would recommend this early reader for children ages 2-5.
15 reviews
November 18, 2021
In Anne Schreiber’s book, Penguins!, the author talks about different types of penguins and facts about each of them. She talks about where they live, some of the food that they eat, and how they raise their young. The author shares many interesting facts about penguins that will interest younger children.
The book has a colorful cover with a large image of a penguin. The illustration is large throughout the book with short sentences that tell the details about penguins. The cover is a vertical rectangle, and the text throughout the book is very legible and easy to read.
20 reviews
March 25, 2018
Penguins! is a picture book written for young readers to learn all kinds of facts about penguins. This book is filled with informational facts and real pictures of penguins from all over the world. This book is a great book for any young reader who is interested in learning all about penguins. This book focuses on teaching rather then telling a story. All the pictures included are real and filled every page. This would be a great book for elementary aged students.
55 reviews
April 21, 2020
This book is all about penguins and explores a lot of information about them. It talks about different kinds of penguins, what they do throughout life, what they eat, and many other things. The book has a lot of different pictures of penguins, fun maps, and graphics. This book would be great for children around first through third grade. This book can be used to learn so much more about penguins through the text and also the pictures.
50 reviews1 follower
Read
April 18, 2023
This nonfiction text contains many important facts about penguins, including where they live, what they eat, how their babies are born and cared for, and what adaptations penguins have to survive in their habitats.

I use this text as an example of how some informational books are organized and to teach the various text features in a nonfiction book, including headings, diagrams, labels, captions, table of contents, indexes, etc.
26 reviews
May 2, 2018
Awards the book has received:n/a
Appropriate grade level: 2-4
Original summary: Series about penguins: where the animal lives, what it eats, when it sleeps, how it raises its young & much more.
Original review: Easy to read, informational.
1-2 possible in-class uses: To give information about penguins.
Profile Image for Andrea.
40 reviews
November 27, 2019
This national geographic book provides students with a lot of facts about penguins. It is a nonfiction story that provides students with information about where they live, the body parts of a penguin, what they eat and other interesting facts about penguins. It is a great story for students to go back into and look for information and to answer questions about penguins.
51 reviews
April 26, 2020
I gave this book a 4-star rating because its a very informational book. It gives very good descriptions of penguins and what their life is like. This book is all about penguins! What they look like, where they are from, what they eat, and so much more. This book would be great to show a 5-year-old. the pictures help a child out so much from this book. It's also a good book to learn about arctic life.
17 reviews
May 10, 2021
This is a great informational early reader about penguins. It was very informational and would be great for research and overall learning on penguins. I think that this would be a great recommendation for any early age, probably six and up. I know I enjoyed learning about penguins through this book. There were no diverse characters as the book was on penguins.
Profile Image for Katalina Harrington.
55 reviews
Read
May 29, 2022
Penguins are the birds that can't fly but can swim, march and slide on snow. Penguins live between the equator and the south pole. They have big eyes to see underwater, flubber that keeps them warm, and feathers to keep water out. Their black backs make it hard for them to be seen from above, and their light bellies make it hard to see from below.
102 reviews
October 9, 2017
This books is adorable, just from the cute pictures of these adorable creature. Young students will love this book. A great resource for student to learn from. Text features that add to the learning value of this book. A great addition to an animal lesson in science.
40 reviews
April 14, 2020
This books would be cool to read during a science lesson. It gives facts and information about Penguins. There is a science experiment in the book that teaches children how to make home made snow. Super cool informational book. Can be read in the 2nd grade.
55 reviews
April 19, 2020
This is an easy read that teaches all about penguins and their lives. It is an easy read with a lot of pictures and engaging charts. This book would be best for younger elementary (K-2) and could be used in a science lesson about penguins or as a writing prompt!
Profile Image for Wendy Matta.
45 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2020
Love These

My Girlz really enjoy these Magazines... I just can’t manage to download earlier prints... You child will love at any age... if they can’t read yet use the read to me... Aloha & Blessed Be
~Wenz Matta~
40 reviews
September 3, 2020
National Geographic Kids: Penguins! is a great educational book that teaches children about the life of a penguin. I believe children will enjoy reading this book if they have an interest in animals like penguins.
2 reviews
March 9, 2018
National Geographic

National Geographic is a very good series. Expecialy this one. P.S. I have a cute stuffed animal penguin that is cute.
Profile Image for Andrea.
Author 21 books293 followers
April 10, 2019
Perfect for early readers -- and I really enjoyed the added jokes! Loved hearing my six-year-old read this book, and all the questions he formed after learning more facts about penguins.
Profile Image for Tina.
125 reviews
January 28, 2020
I read this book to my son. It was a cute little book and had many facts about penguins in it.
Profile Image for Karla.
1,668 reviews15 followers
December 1, 2020
great nonfiction book for young scientists
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews

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