Oceans of Possibilities: Penguins

Penguin Journey written by Angela Burke Kunkel

Illustrations and easy-to-read, rhyming text follow a colony of Emperor penguins as they emerge from the sea, find mates, care for their eggs, and are reunited when chicks have hatched. Includes author’s note about Emperor penguins and challenges threatening the species.

Vampenguin written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

A young vampire trades places with a penguin at the zoo for a day of mischief and fun.

The Old Man and the Penguin: a true story of true friendship written by Julie Abery

This heartwarming picture book tells the true story of João Pereira de Souza, who found a Magellanic penguin covered in oil and starving near his home on an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. João spent a week cleaning the creature’s tarred feathers and feeding him a daily diet of fish before taking him back to the sea to let him go. But the penguin wouldn’t leave! He stayed with João for eleven months until finally disappearing. Now, every June, Dindim returns to de Souza’s home by the sea and stays until February — and every year he becomes more affectionate and appears even happier to see his human friend.

Bye, Penguin! Written and illustrated by Seou Lee

You’d think that a penguin stranded on an ever-smaller block of ice, on a trip around the world wouldn’t be so. FUN! But it is! There’s our fearless penguin passing the gondolas of Venice. There’s penguin floating by the Sydney Opera House! From the Aurora Borealis to a hilarious encounter with a surfer in Hawaii, this is a wordless journey that truly FROLICKS. In fact, the adventures are so amusing that most readers will barely register the nod to global warming until it’s slipped right in on the breath of a laugh.

Penguin Flies Home: a flight school story written and illustrated by Lita Judge

Even though his penguin friends would rather swim, Penguin dreams of flying.

Be Brave, Little Penguin written by Giles Andreae

Pip-Pip, the littlest penguin, is teased for being afraid of the water until, with his mother’s guidance, he finally jumps in.

Nonfiction

Puffins and Penguins written by Arnold Ringstad

Explores the similarities between puffins and penguins, and how to tell them apart. Discover how traits like habitat, ability to fly, and beak shape can be used to identify these black and white sea birds. Additional features include a side-by-side comparison of the animals, an activity encouraging readers to demonstrate their knowledge, a phonetic glossary, sources for further reading, an introduction to the author, and an index.

The Great Penguin Rescue: saving the African penguins written by Sandra Markle

The African Penguin population is critically low, due to various factors including climate change. Scientists and volunteers with a South African organization are helping to rescue these endangered birds by rearing abandoned chicks.”– Provided by publisher.

Despite South African government efforts to protect the penguin colonies and their ocean fish supply, young penguins still struggle to survive. Fuzzy chicks waiting for food in open nests may overheat in the sun or become prey. Others simply may not get enough food to survive on their own once their parents leave. Markle examines new conservation methods, including rescuing and hand-feeding vulnerable chicks, that are giving experts hope.

Printable penguin craft: http://learncreatelove.com/printable-penguin-craft/

Emperor penguins’ life cycle poster: https://photolibrary.usap.gov/PhotoDetails.aspx?filename=PENGUIN_LIFECYCLE_H.JPG

Penguin crayon resist water experiment: https://abcsofliteracy.com/penguin-science-experiment/