Pierre the Penguin

Marzollo, Jean. Pierre the Penguin: A True Story. Illustrated by Laura Regan. Sleeping Bear Press, 2010. 32 pages. $15.95. ISBN 9781585364855.

Summary:

This is the true story of Pierre, an African penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Pierre’s caretaker, Pam, notices that Pierre is missing some feathers and isn’t swimming with the other penguins. The other penguins begin to ostracize him and Pam thinks creatively to come up with a solution that will help Pierre get back in the water again. This story is told in verse, with soft illustrations that convey the caring spirit that Pam has for her charges.

Curriculum Connections:

There are several ways that this book could be connected to curriculum. It could be a good way to start a conversation about animal adaptations or an example of creative problem-solving. The final page of the book includes some FAQs from Senior Aquatic Biologist, Pam Schaller (the same Pam from the book), which could be read to a class for additional information. Finally, there is a penguin “webcam” that classes can visit virtually (a great way to use classroom digital projectors) to see Pam and the penguins at CAS.

Personal Reflections:

This is a gentle introduction to themes of acceptance and being different, as well as to creative thinking and problem-solving.

Awards:

Chickadee Nomination List 2011-2012.

Age/Interest Range:

Pre-K; all ages.

Genre/Themes:

Animals, Nonfiction Picture Books, Penguins, Acceptance, Adaptation, Science

Read-Alikes:

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World (Hatkoff and Uhlich) could be a nice text-to-text connection, with the theme of animals in captivity who are lovingly cared for.