The Emperor's Egg

This book is wonderfully illustrated and reads well. The only flaw I have with it is sometimes it's hard to tell if you should read from page to page or read it left to right across both. However I loved the storytelling while still being factual.

The Emperor's egg is a fantastic non-fiction account of how emperor penguins car for their eggs until they hatch. The book begins with an illustrated dictionary type layout, but after introducing Antarctica and its climate, it moves into a narrative that while being non-fiction, has suspense, a problem, a solution, and a resolution.
The book is illustrated with paintings that are nothing to write home about but do a good job of providing extra information through illustration. The writing is by far the books strongest part, with a well told story that includes all the necessary information to explain the arduous process a penguin goes through to keep its egg warm. The story-telling is well-paced and includes several moments of suspense show more that provide perfect opportunities to have the children you are reading to make a prediction. By far the most engaging part of the book is when, after the male penguin has been sitting on the egg for over two months with no food, the female penguins slowly appears on the horizon and arrives with great penguin fanfare to meet and feed her new chick. M y kids actually cheered when they read that. I look forward to reading this book to kindergartners again. show less

I liked reading this informational book for two reasons. I first liked the book for its engaging writing. As an informational children's book, it worked hard to keep its audience interested. It did so by asking readers to imagine themselves in different situations. The author wrote "Can you imagine it? Standing around in the freezing cold with an egg on your feet for two whole months?" This allows readers to connect to the book. I also liked the book for its language. The author used descriptive language that was appropriate to this context like "mate," "chick," and "krill." Overall, this book worked hard to convey the message of how Emperor penguins lay eggs. Through descriptive language, engaging writing, and even the illustrations, show more the book walked children step-by-step through the egg-laying process. show less

I enjoyed this book because it provided facts and information about penguins in a fun, entertaining way. This nonfiction book is very engaging and uses well developed text that makes the information easier for children to understand. The illustrations support the text and help the reader better visualize what is happening in the book. The plot is well paced and follows a chronological order. By stating what happens step by step the readers are able to fully understand the process penguins go through when they have a baby. In addition, the author adds in questions and statements that keeps the reader thinking and engaged by helping them connect to their lives. For example, when the text states the father penguin has to wait two months show more before he can eat food just to keep the egg warm. This allows the readers to visualize and connect their emotions to the book by having them relate to how they would feel if they did not eat for two months. The main message of this book is to inform the readers about the Emperor Penguins and help them understand where and how they live. show less

I wasn't sure about the reader at first but I ended up liking the reader. I like this book because it presents all this information without being boring and I like how the pictures are structured differently on each page. This book does a great job with presenting information to make students think and entourage them to learn more but also asks question to help put the students in the mind of a penguin. The language in this book is simple so it will be good for younger audiences. This book would be good for a lesson on penguins, Antartica, or a good research tool.

I love this informational text for many reasons! I liked how it was written in a form of a story. It takes the reader on an adventure from the time the egg was hatched to how a penguin grows up. I also liked how the book had text features like a diagram explaining and showing the difference in size of a baby penguin to a adult full grown penguin. The text also highlights and explains vocabulary words like that a baby penguin is called a chick. Pictures are very colorful and engaging for the reader especially on the page where it explains how and why the penguins slide down hills on their stomachs. The big idea is to explain to the reader the life of a penguin from when it hatches to when it becomes an adult.

This book is beautifully illustrated and details the life cycle of the Emperor Penguin in a lovely, factual way. There's no fictional story, no characters to remember, simply the familial responsibilities of the Emperor Penguin family! Jane Chapman does a beautiful job depicting the habits of the animals.