The Emperor's Egg: Read and Wonder

The Emperor's Egg: Read and Wonder by Martin Jenkins. Published by Candlewick on August 26, 2002.

Some nonfiction books are more like a story, some are more full of facts, but this book is a combination of both. Jenkins tells the story of a male emperor penguin protecting his egg, and while doing so Jenkins also gives the reader detailed information about the penguins through both his main writing and additional commentary at the bottom of the page in a smaller font. The humor he uses makes it an enjoyable read for children, but it's also a very informative book that teaches the reader as well.

The book follows the male emperor penguin through the process of carrying the egg after the female leaves, showing just how they hold it on top of their feet as well as how they move while carrying it. The illustrations are cute and draw you in immediately when you see the baby penguin on the cover. But the best part about the book is that it doesn't try to dumb down the information for children. Jenkins is very honest when he tells children things like describing how the mothers throw up food into their baby's mouth when they return (which is followed up by a "yuk!" joke). This honesty is a good policy to have with nonfiction books for children because it's ensuring that they're learning the truth, and not just some sugar-coated version of it.

In terms of classroom use, I would suggest this book for younger classes such as kindergarten or first grade. It's simple enough for them to understand, and it the jokes written into the book would make it a good choice for reading aloud. It would also be fun to get the students to walk around like a male emperor penguin, keeping their feet together so their egg won't touch the ground.

For related books, I would suggest And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. This book tells the story of the two male penguins from the Central Park Zoo who parented a baby penguin together, which is both informative about penguins as well as diversity and acceptance. Another option is Penguin Chick by Betty Tatham. This story also follows the process of hatching a penguin egg, but this story focuses more on the baby than the parents.