Nonfiction Monday: Pierre the Penguin and a Giveaway!

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We would like to thank Sleeping Bear Press for providing a copy of this book for review.

Pierre the Penguin: A True Story
by Jean Marzollo
Illus. by Laura Regan
32 pages, ages 4-8
Sleeping Bear Press, 2010

Pierre, an African penguin, has lost his waterproof feathers and now he’s in trouble. He shivers miserably and is unable to what penguins do best—swim. Worse yet, the other penguins living in the California aquarium shun Pierre because he looks and acts so strangely. Prescriptions and warming heaters do nothing to improve Pierre’s dire situation. Finally, Pam, an aquatic biologist, designs a custom-made wetsuit for the bedraggled penguin. Will it keep Pierre warm? Will he rejoin the other penguins and swim again?

Realistic, full-page water-color renderings by noted wildlife artist, Laura Regan, show the featherless bird in his most pathetic state. Contrast that to the illustration depicting Pierre wearing his wetsuit and taking his first jubilant dive. The water droplets seem to almost bounce off the page! Easy-to-read rhymed couplets tell the dramatic tale of the brave little penguin who, with a little help and ingenuity from his human friends, leads a healthy, comfortable life in the zoo’s penguin colony today. Young animal lovers will be charmed by this true-life story with a happy ending! If they want to know more about Pierre the penguin, check out this video featuring Pierre, the zoo biologist, and the illustrator:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=view_from_the_bay/puppies_kittens&id=7532224 Pierre’s story is also included in the bonus DVD disc of March of the Penguins.
Downloadable teacher’s guide available at: http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/TeachersGuides/PenguinGuide.pdf
—Review by Heidi Bee Roemer

Jean Marzollo is a prolific author with over 130 titles including the I Spy series and various rhyming fiction and nonfiction books.  She says "Rhythm and rhyme are like music without the tune; they lure and excite the ear. Children love rhythm and rhyme, and so do I." She has taught high school English and worked on early childhood research projects. In recent years, Jean has developed interactive books for young children to read while n the internet. She works on all aspects of creating ebooks and says it's the children who teach her what works best for them. Visit her website at www.jeanmarzollo.com
—Bio by Laura Crawford.

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Simply Science blog.