Penguins
Written by: Seymore Simon
Illustrated by: Numerous photographers
Published by Harper Collins Children's Books in NY in 2007
Genre: Informational Text
Ages: grades 3-5
Summary: This text provides a myriad of information about all types of penguins. From Antarctic penguins to Australian penguins to Galapagos penguins, numerous species are detailed in this book. Penguins discusses what penguins eat, how they choose mates, how they incubate their eggs, and what animals are their predators. This incredibly fact-based work is like an mini- encyclopedia of information filled with remarkable pictures of numerous species of these animals.
Response: I learned a great deal about penguins from this book! I learned that all penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere and some can live in rookeries of more than twenty million! Sometimes they even dive 1,500 feet to find food and have the ability to remain submerged for up to fifteen minutes before needing air! Some penguins can swim up to fifteen miles per hour and most lay two eggs at a time. The most interesting thing I learned about penguins was about their mating rituals. When a male penguin is ready to mate "He bows, struts about, and may offer a rock as a gift. If a fight breaks out, the males use their bills and flippers to hit their rivals. When penguins...find their mates, they bond by touching necks and slapping each other on the back with their flippers. By 'singing' to each other, they learn to recognize each other's voice. A penguin may stay with its mate for years--or as long as the pair has chicks together" (8). I thought this part of the information was hilarious! I could just picture the male penguins hitting each other with their short little wings and "strutting about" offering rocks to females. The picture in the book that corresponds to this page shows two king penguins "hugging" with their necks. It is so cute!
The pictures in this book are amazing! Because this work was produced in correlation with the Smithsonian, obviously the pictures must truly capture the essence of being a penguin because the Smithsonian employs such great photographers. This book does not disappoint in this aspect at all! Most of the photographs are single-page spreads because the vast amounts of information are on the corresponding pages. Although the pictures do not cover both pages, they are nonetheless extraordinary. Many are close-ups of beautifully colored penguins in their natural habitats.
Teaching Connections: The one disappointing element in this book was the vast amount of information provided. The facts given were well-organized and insightful, but , especially for younger children, it might be a bit too much to handle. I would suggest possibly splitting up the reading of this book into several days and talk about only one species per day or one aspect of penguins per day for younger students.
In order to help students comprehend the totality of information provided by this work and distinguish between species of penguins, an organization chart or diagram might be of assistance. Categories could include food, habitat, number of penguins in a rookery, how many eggs the female lays, height, and weight.
As a response to this book, students could find their own pictures (or draw some) of a particular animal of their choice and write a mini-book about information they found through research about that animal.
Written by: Seymore Simon
Illustrated by: Numerous photographers
Published by Harper Collins Children's Books in NY in 2007
Genre: Informational Text
Ages: grades 3-5
Summary: This text provides a myriad of information about all types of penguins. From Antarctic penguins to Australian penguins to Galapagos penguins, numerous species are detailed in this book. Penguins discusses what penguins eat, how they choose mates, how they incubate their eggs, and what animals are their predators. This incredibly fact-based work is like an mini- encyclopedia of information filled with remarkable pictures of numerous species of these animals.
Response: I learned a great deal about penguins from this book! I learned that all penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere and some can live in rookeries of more than twenty million! Sometimes they even dive 1,500 feet to find food and have the ability to remain submerged for up to fifteen minutes before needing air! Some penguins can swim up to fifteen miles per hour and most lay two eggs at a time. The most interesting thing I learned about penguins was about their mating rituals. When a male penguin is ready to mate "He bows, struts about, and may offer a rock as a gift. If a fight breaks out, the males use their bills and flippers to hit their rivals. When penguins...find their mates, they bond by touching necks and slapping each other on the back with their flippers. By 'singing' to each other, they learn to recognize each other's voice. A penguin may stay with its mate for years--or as long as the pair has chicks together" (8). I thought this part of the information was hilarious! I could just picture the male penguins hitting each other with their short little wings and "strutting about" offering rocks to females. The picture in the book that corresponds to this page shows two king penguins "hugging" with their necks. It is so cute!
The pictures in this book are amazing! Because this work was produced in correlation with the Smithsonian, obviously the pictures must truly capture the essence of being a penguin because the Smithsonian employs such great photographers. This book does not disappoint in this aspect at all! Most of the photographs are single-page spreads because the vast amounts of information are on the corresponding pages. Although the pictures do not cover both pages, they are nonetheless extraordinary. Many are close-ups of beautifully colored penguins in their natural habitats.
Teaching Connections: The one disappointing element in this book was the vast amount of information provided. The facts given were well-organized and insightful, but , especially for younger children, it might be a bit too much to handle. I would suggest possibly splitting up the reading of this book into several days and talk about only one species per day or one aspect of penguins per day for younger students.
In order to help students comprehend the totality of information provided by this work and distinguish between species of penguins, an organization chart or diagram might be of assistance. Categories could include food, habitat, number of penguins in a rookery, how many eggs the female lays, height, and weight.
As a response to this book, students could find their own pictures (or draw some) of a particular animal of their choice and write a mini-book about information they found through research about that animal.
(Image retrieved from http://img.libreriauniversitaria.it/BUS/300/395/9780060283957.jpg on 19 April 2008)
1 comment:
Oh I am so pleased to know that you found Seymore Simon! He is one of my favorite authors of informational text! I appreciate you sharing your favorite "fast facts" from the text. I agree, Simon writes so extensively about the topic that often there is A LOT of information. I like your teaching ideas of students using some type of data retrieval chart to organize their information. In addition, creating their own informational text about an animal they have chosen to research in another excellent idea!
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