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Nature Storybooks
The Emperor's Egg: Read and Wonder
Fabulous facts about nature's most devoted dad, in an utterly charming picture book.
Can you imagine spending the winter outdoors in Antarctica without anything to eat? That’s just what the male Emperor penguin does. While his mate is off swimming and catching loads of fish, he stands around in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months, keeping it warm and waiting for it to hatch. Welcome to the story of the world’s most devoted dad!
Back matter includes an index.
Can you imagine spending the winter outdoors in Antarctica without anything to eat? That’s just what the male Emperor penguin does. While his mate is off swimming and catching loads of fish, he stands around in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months, keeping it warm and waiting for it to hatch. Welcome to the story of the world’s most devoted dad!
Back matter includes an index.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
13 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
January 30, 2016
how am i supposed to review children's books? we bought this because we were in antarctica, and like penguins. it didn't teach me anything new, but i am 35.
June 5, 2017
Great illustrations, and the story was interesting and thought provoking. I want to find out more about Emperor penguins now that I've read this little story about them.
February 9, 2021
Love this book! Emperor penguin is so awesome!!
January 3, 2018
The male emperor penguin has got to be the most incredible dad right? Standing on an egg in the freezing cold for two whole months? That's true love. And this children's picture book tells the story of this process, and the one thereafter once that nice warm egg hatches and becomes a penguin itself!
A wonderfully illustrated, super colourful and ridiculously cute story young children will love to read about; and as a bonus it's filled with facts about the emperor penguin too. I did think that there could have been a little bit more information included, considering it's described as a picture book designed to educate - and it does, but I think it could have done with a few more facts sprinkled across the page.
A good addition to any nature fans shelf.
ARC provided free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A wonderfully illustrated, super colourful and ridiculously cute story young children will love to read about; and as a bonus it's filled with facts about the emperor penguin too. I did think that there could have been a little bit more information included, considering it's described as a picture book designed to educate - and it does, but I think it could have done with a few more facts sprinkled across the page.
A good addition to any nature fans shelf.
ARC provided free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 23, 2012
The adorable book goes throughout the life cycle of the Emperor Penguin. It also gives facts about their environment, the differences between males and females and their roles. It could be used for a lesson on animal characteristics, the life cycle, or environment. I also feel like this could be used for lesson on gender roles because in the emperor penguin's case, the dad takes care of the egg and the chick while the mother goes fishing for food.
Grade: 2nd-life cycles, 3rd-Habitat
Grade: 2nd-life cycles, 3rd-Habitat
November 20, 2008
This book would be a great read aloud for younger children about the part of the life cycle of Emperor Penguins. Students will be intrigued by the fact that it is the father who has the responsibility of sitting on the egg, while the mother is off feeding. Well illustrated with enjoyable text. I would use this with kindergarten students through third or fourth grade.
August 9, 2021
A book about penguins is always a winner at our house. 🐧😁👍🐧
October 14, 2024
Very informative and great to see a penguin dad at work
October 6, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this book! This would be an excellent book to introduce children to the cycle of penguins and make them think about other animals'life cycles. I love how the author writes in such a way that makes the reader feel the author is speaking to them in person. The bright, beautiful illustrations are most eye-catching and engaging for children. Children could use this book as support in researching their own animal and writing the life cycle of another animal, also using the illustrations from the story as inspiration for their own drawings.
April 18, 2012
This is such a cute book. I would use this book in my classroom to start the knowledge of what animals lay eggs for babies to be born and the adventure of that taking place. 3rd and 4th grades are the grades that I would use this book for my students. Activities I would use for this story would include drawing all the steps out of the egg process for the birth of the chick.
October 31, 2013
A book my 5 yr old as well as my twin 3 yr olds loved. A solid reading level 1 book, this cute story keeps all ages engaged with the bright colorful pictures and cute story. A great addition to any children's library.
December 5, 2016
I love the different story! Great for lessons
March 29, 2019
Lots of good, fun information.
April 17, 2018
I’ve really enjoyed reading this book. ‘The Emperor’s Egg’ is a fun picture book, wider than A4 in size but shorter, it’s filled with thick glossy pages of very colourful illustrations and text. The book has a very fun feel to it while also being educational and gives kids a great introduction to these lovely birds.
The first page of the book gives a brief description of a penguin’s life, before the start of the actual story of the book. Although this book is part of the Nature Storybooks collection it’s a non-fiction book. It has a story about the emperor penguin but this is told with facts and is sort of like a documentary you’d see on television. I really love the way the ‘story’ unfolds in this book and the way the author writes it. It starts by explaining about Antarctica, how cold and remote the place is before showing us the only creature that lives some of the time so far south in the Antarctic, the emperor penguin. It then goes on to show the male emperor looking after his egg and the tough life he has to go through looking after the egg and the later hatched chick until the female comes to care for it.
The story is quite simple but what I really love about this particular author is how they’ve managed to make the reader feel so engaged. Rather than just stating facts about these creatures the author asks us questions, to imagine how it would be or how miserable we’d feel if we couldn’t eat for two whole months. There’s something about this style and the overall writing which I really enjoy as it helps kids to understand it more and I also really like this style as it’s very funny at times, especially when the mother finally returns.
The illustrations are wonderful. Each page is filled with colour and I love the purple blue background of Antarctica. The pictures of the penguins look realistic, you can even see the individual feathers in some illustrations and I just love the way the penguins look. The pictures really do make the book more appealing to read and I can’t help but look at this again and again just to see the pictures.
This book has a great introduction to the story of what happens with emperor penguins and the laying and hatching of their chicks. Although quite basic it’s a great book for kids especially those who don’t know much about penguins as it makes you like these animals more. The back of the book has a page with notes to teachers and parents about using the book with kids and it supports Key Stages 1-2 of Science and English too so is both a great learning resource to use at home and at school.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to get their kids interested in animals of for those who have kids that are already interested in animals. This particular book has such a fun feel to it and even though it doesn’t go into details of raising the chick to adulthood, it is more than enough of an introduction to this amazing bird.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy.
The first page of the book gives a brief description of a penguin’s life, before the start of the actual story of the book. Although this book is part of the Nature Storybooks collection it’s a non-fiction book. It has a story about the emperor penguin but this is told with facts and is sort of like a documentary you’d see on television. I really love the way the ‘story’ unfolds in this book and the way the author writes it. It starts by explaining about Antarctica, how cold and remote the place is before showing us the only creature that lives some of the time so far south in the Antarctic, the emperor penguin. It then goes on to show the male emperor looking after his egg and the tough life he has to go through looking after the egg and the later hatched chick until the female comes to care for it.
The story is quite simple but what I really love about this particular author is how they’ve managed to make the reader feel so engaged. Rather than just stating facts about these creatures the author asks us questions, to imagine how it would be or how miserable we’d feel if we couldn’t eat for two whole months. There’s something about this style and the overall writing which I really enjoy as it helps kids to understand it more and I also really like this style as it’s very funny at times, especially when the mother finally returns.
The illustrations are wonderful. Each page is filled with colour and I love the purple blue background of Antarctica. The pictures of the penguins look realistic, you can even see the individual feathers in some illustrations and I just love the way the penguins look. The pictures really do make the book more appealing to read and I can’t help but look at this again and again just to see the pictures.
This book has a great introduction to the story of what happens with emperor penguins and the laying and hatching of their chicks. Although quite basic it’s a great book for kids especially those who don’t know much about penguins as it makes you like these animals more. The back of the book has a page with notes to teachers and parents about using the book with kids and it supports Key Stages 1-2 of Science and English too so is both a great learning resource to use at home and at school.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to get their kids interested in animals of for those who have kids that are already interested in animals. This particular book has such a fun feel to it and even though it doesn’t go into details of raising the chick to adulthood, it is more than enough of an introduction to this amazing bird.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy.
February 9, 2021
One of the first in a series of books I will be interpreting as part of my final semester of practicum experience, I enjoyed both listening to, learning from, and having fun in creating an ASL interpretation of Martin Jenkin's, "The Emperor's Egg".
While some may not include audio recordings from YouTube as a format for the Goodreads 2021 Reading Challenge, or count it as an audio book at all, I do given the accessibility for those who need these materials to continue onward during the pandemic (and beyond). If I were to side with those who request strict restrictions on what children use the internet for this would be my piece to add to the argument.
What I loved about this reading of the book was how 'Sky Campbell' (the YouTube Channel that, I felt, offered a story time as close to the 'physical classroom' as possible) switched tone between the plot and the facts that supported it. As an interpreter this offered a chance to be innovative with how to voice the fiction from the factual, and I loved it!
The illustrations, choice of words, and the potential of the person reading it aloud to the class would offer any classroom discussing the main and supporting topics a rich and relaxing experience. Most associate non-fiction with hard, cold truth and this is not the case in this book. If anything it is a promising start for any reader to eventually enter and enjoy the non-fiction genre and ALL it can offer.
One of the best ways to interpret something is to know it. You do not have to be an expert in penguins, but if you have a student's curiosity your prep can be just as fun as the final draft of the recording. From beginning to end I enjoyed not only the prep and reflection of my own work, but above all enjoyed returning to a collection of books I will never outgrow.
While some may not include audio recordings from YouTube as a format for the Goodreads 2021 Reading Challenge, or count it as an audio book at all, I do given the accessibility for those who need these materials to continue onward during the pandemic (and beyond). If I were to side with those who request strict restrictions on what children use the internet for this would be my piece to add to the argument.
What I loved about this reading of the book was how 'Sky Campbell' (the YouTube Channel that, I felt, offered a story time as close to the 'physical classroom' as possible) switched tone between the plot and the facts that supported it. As an interpreter this offered a chance to be innovative with how to voice the fiction from the factual, and I loved it!
The illustrations, choice of words, and the potential of the person reading it aloud to the class would offer any classroom discussing the main and supporting topics a rich and relaxing experience. Most associate non-fiction with hard, cold truth and this is not the case in this book. If anything it is a promising start for any reader to eventually enter and enjoy the non-fiction genre and ALL it can offer.
One of the best ways to interpret something is to know it. You do not have to be an expert in penguins, but if you have a student's curiosity your prep can be just as fun as the final draft of the recording. From beginning to end I enjoyed not only the prep and reflection of my own work, but above all enjoyed returning to a collection of books I will never outgrow.
November 9, 2017
1. Awards the book has received (if any): None
2. Appropriate grade level(s): 1st grade to 3rd Grade
3. Original 3-line summary: This is a children's book that goes through the life cycle of an Emperor Penguin. It provides information of the Emperor Penguin that distinguishes it from other penguins. It also provides information about the types of environment that the Emperor Penguin resides in.
4. Original 3-line review: Its an informative children's book that isn't boring. The illustrations and colors they use in the book will keep students interested. It's a book that can be used for lessons on types of animals, environments and life cycles.
5. 2-3 possible in-class uses: This would be a great book for students to use when researching about different animals that leave in the poles.
Students can use this book to learn more about the environment and why its important to take care of the environment.
This book can also be used to teach students that both mothers and fathers take care of children, since the male Emperor Penguin takes care of the babies at birth, as opposed to other animals that have their mother take care of them.
2. Appropriate grade level(s): 1st grade to 3rd Grade
3. Original 3-line summary: This is a children's book that goes through the life cycle of an Emperor Penguin. It provides information of the Emperor Penguin that distinguishes it from other penguins. It also provides information about the types of environment that the Emperor Penguin resides in.
4. Original 3-line review: Its an informative children's book that isn't boring. The illustrations and colors they use in the book will keep students interested. It's a book that can be used for lessons on types of animals, environments and life cycles.
5. 2-3 possible in-class uses: This would be a great book for students to use when researching about different animals that leave in the poles.
Students can use this book to learn more about the environment and why its important to take care of the environment.
This book can also be used to teach students that both mothers and fathers take care of children, since the male Emperor Penguin takes care of the babies at birth, as opposed to other animals that have their mother take care of them.
December 19, 2020
I rated it three stars because it is a helpful book to learn about the penguin lifecycle and well done overall.
There were a few places in the book where, had I been reading this to a child, I would have changed the words. While this may seem picayune, with text being sparse in children's books, word choice matters.
Examples:
- "The weather is bad enough there in the summer, but in the winter it is really horrible." In a scientific book and in a world that is rapidly warming, I don't find this characterization helpful. The previous and next sentence state that Antarctica is "the coldest, windiest place on earth... It's hard to imagine anything actually living there," so temperature and conditions have already been established, and the reader is ready for the story about penguins to begin.
- At the end of the book when the mother penguin returns from months away, the author writes, "The mother penguin is sick-- right into her chick's mouth," but does not go on to explain that the mother does not throw up in her chick's mouth due to illness but that this is the way bird parents feed their young, by passing it from beak to beak.
There were a few places in the book where, had I been reading this to a child, I would have changed the words. While this may seem picayune, with text being sparse in children's books, word choice matters.
Examples:
- "The weather is bad enough there in the summer, but in the winter it is really horrible." In a scientific book and in a world that is rapidly warming, I don't find this characterization helpful. The previous and next sentence state that Antarctica is "the coldest, windiest place on earth... It's hard to imagine anything actually living there," so temperature and conditions have already been established, and the reader is ready for the story about penguins to begin.
- At the end of the book when the mother penguin returns from months away, the author writes, "The mother penguin is sick-- right into her chick's mouth," but does not go on to explain that the mother does not throw up in her chick's mouth due to illness but that this is the way bird parents feed their young, by passing it from beak to beak.
October 23, 2020
This book is about an Emperor penguin taking care of his egg until it hatches. It also takes you through the journey of the motherly and fatherly duties in the everyday life of a penguin. This informational text is the perfect read for any science project or ELA study of animals your student may have. It gives clear details about the stages a penguin goes through to hatch an egg along with other fun facts in smaller font. With beautiful illustrations it is an easy to follow read for 3rd and 4th graders which is the grade level I would recommend this text to. The text is also quirky with little hints of comical lines about how the author couldn't imagine being a penguin because of factors like them living in the cold of Antarctica.
I would also use this informational text to identify and go over the details of an index and how to use it for finding information. This read is a short but very informational for our young readers and the language is enjoyable.
I would also use this informational text to identify and go over the details of an index and how to use it for finding information. This read is a short but very informational for our young readers and the language is enjoyable.
November 9, 2017
Awards the book has received (if any): none
Appropriate grade level(s): 1st- 3rd
Original 3-line summary: A penguins life is quite opposite than what most people think. Instead of a mom caring for the baby, the father does. When the mother leaves to get food, the father keeps the little egg with it to keep it warm. It shows the stages of a penguins life while also telling a story.
Original 3-line review: I thought the animation of this book was very cute and informational (especially for the younger grades). I think it is an easy way to show the life style of a penguin because I don't think children will be reading to learn necessarily I think they will just think its a story.
2-3 possible in-class uses: Teaching children about the life cycle of a penguin
- Teaching children about how other animals survive in different temperatures
Appropriate grade level(s): 1st- 3rd
Original 3-line summary: A penguins life is quite opposite than what most people think. Instead of a mom caring for the baby, the father does. When the mother leaves to get food, the father keeps the little egg with it to keep it warm. It shows the stages of a penguins life while also telling a story.
Original 3-line review: I thought the animation of this book was very cute and informational (especially for the younger grades). I think it is an easy way to show the life style of a penguin because I don't think children will be reading to learn necessarily I think they will just think its a story.
2-3 possible in-class uses: Teaching children about the life cycle of a penguin
- Teaching children about how other animals survive in different temperatures
November 30, 2019
Summary:
Take a journey to Antartica and witness the amazing life of an Emperor penguin. Beginning with the important job of the male Emperor penguin all the way to the birth of the Emperor's egg! Read about how each different penguin- mom, dad and baby- all have a job to play.
Review:
Have you ever wanted to learn interesting facts about Emperor penguins but didn't want just rote facts about this penguin? Well this is the book for you! The Emperor's Egg keeps its audience interest by asking you questions and having you wonder if you could do just what this marvelous animals can do!
Paired Books:
National Geographic Readers: Penguins! by Anne Schreiber
Penguins ! by Gail Gibbons
March of the Penguins- Nature Documentary
Quote:
"It's hard to imagine anything actually living there. But wait... what's that shape over there? It can't be. YES! It's a penguin!"
Take a journey to Antartica and witness the amazing life of an Emperor penguin. Beginning with the important job of the male Emperor penguin all the way to the birth of the Emperor's egg! Read about how each different penguin- mom, dad and baby- all have a job to play.
Review:
Have you ever wanted to learn interesting facts about Emperor penguins but didn't want just rote facts about this penguin? Well this is the book for you! The Emperor's Egg keeps its audience interest by asking you questions and having you wonder if you could do just what this marvelous animals can do!
Paired Books:
National Geographic Readers: Penguins! by Anne Schreiber
Penguins ! by Gail Gibbons
March of the Penguins- Nature Documentary
Quote:
"It's hard to imagine anything actually living there. But wait... what's that shape over there? It can't be. YES! It's a penguin!"
August 3, 2018
This book was a very informative and lovely story. There are many links to Geography on the first page where there are facts given about Antarctica and then throughout the rest of the book there are other pieces of information about male and female penguins! Did you know a male Emperor penguin is roughly 1.3 metres tall, making them the tallest penguins in the world? Or that male penguins have a pouch in their throat, allowing them to create a milk-like substance for the chick once its born? I have learnt a lot from this book!
The layout of this non-fiction picture book is great as it is very informative but in a clear and simple way, allowing children in any setting to be able to understand everything that happens within the book and the journey of the egg hatching.
The layout of this non-fiction picture book is great as it is very informative but in a clear and simple way, allowing children in any setting to be able to understand everything that happens within the book and the journey of the egg hatching.
May 4, 2019
The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins is a nonfiction book all about Antarctica and emperor penguins. It is best for children ages 4-8. This book describes the life of emperor penguins and how they lay their eggs and take care of the eggs. It gives information about their habitat, their diet and how they survive the freezing conditions. I would read this book for a class because it has a lot of information about penguins and children are interested in learning about animals. Especially penguins because they are cute. An in class use of this could be to read the book about penguins and you could make a sheet where the children can list some of the facts that they learned about penguins from the book.
June 14, 2019
I liked this book because it was told a cute story while giving facts about penguins early life. The illustrator uses frames to show different times of the day and to show the different roles at the same time. I like the amount of detail the illustrator puts into each opening which is why I would want to use this book for a lesson plan. I would like to find an informative picture book for each student in my class. Then I want to assign each student a book at random and have them write a report and give a presentation on their animal.
January 23, 2018
I read this informational picture book on 1/22/18. Usually, I'm not crazy about informational texts as they can be boring. However, this book had fun illustrations and language that would keep children interested. It contains good facts that would teach children about the penguin life cycle, their habitat, and male/female penguin roles. I would recommend this book as a read-aloud to any child preschool+, and an independent reading book for children starting around 1st/2nd grade.
February 8, 2018
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Date Finished: February 8th 2018
Genre: Informational
One Unique Feature: I really enjoyed this book! The author, Martin Jenkins, turned information about emperor penguins into a story. It lead the readers through the "struggle" of the father penguin! This books also used a lot of language that made it seem as if the narrator was talking to the reader!
Grade(s) to be Used: I think the best grade for this book is 2nd or 3rd!
Date Finished: February 8th 2018
Genre: Informational
One Unique Feature: I really enjoyed this book! The author, Martin Jenkins, turned information about emperor penguins into a story. It lead the readers through the "struggle" of the father penguin! This books also used a lot of language that made it seem as if the narrator was talking to the reader!
Grade(s) to be Used: I think the best grade for this book is 2nd or 3rd!
April 16, 2018
There is no better to way tell a story rather than to use penguins! In the book Emperors Egg by Martin Jenkins, tells a story while integrating facts about the emperor penguins! Every part of the story has different facts such as the boys being 4 feet tall and the women being a little shorter. As it also gives facts about the penguins themselves, it also tells facts about the emperor eggs as well! -Lea Fabrizzi
April 17, 2019
The Emperor's Egg is about the penguins of Antarctica. It starts by showing an Emperor penguin who is carrying an egg. It goes on to tell about how the female penguin went out to see to collect as much fish as possible. The author continues to talk about how the father carries the egg and how the egg grows and for how long.
I like the soft watercolors through the book and how it really talks about the sacrifices the male penguin makes for his egg.
I like the soft watercolors through the book and how it really talks about the sacrifices the male penguin makes for his egg.
August 28, 2019
Lots of good information, but is poorly written and has a terrible layout. A lot of the pages have fragmented sections of wording and it isn’t very clear which direction or which text to read next. Sometimes the text runs across both pages, other times it runs top to bottom, one page, then the other. The other thing I really dislike is the number of poorly written or fragmented sentences there are. I liked the pictures, but the text is confusing and poorly worded.
April 24, 2020
The Emperors penguin is a picture book based in Antartica. It tells the story of an Emperor penguin and its duties to keep warm and safe the eggs. They story includes all of the stages the penguins go through before the baby penguins are born, as well as incorporates climate information in Antartica. This is a perfect informational story for young kids that keeps them engaged. The author did a great job at making learning fun.
January 15, 2025
Very cute little penguin pictures, but it's not my favourite Read Listen & Wonder book. Compared to the others I've read, it seems a bit vague and perhaps a bit less scientific. Maybe this one would be better for younger kids who want to learn more general information about how penguins lay and care for their eggs.
Penguins offer a great example for humans, as it is the dads who care for the egg until it hatches. A story worth sharing all on its own.
Penguins offer a great example for humans, as it is the dads who care for the egg until it hatches. A story worth sharing all on its own.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews