My Season With Penguins by Sarah Webb

Webb, S. (2000). My season with penguins. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary:
This book is set up in the format of a diary written by the author while spending two months in Antarctica. The entries are very detailed and provide visual images and new information about being on a research trip. This book allows readers to get a wonderful insight into the life of a penguin that they probably have never experienced before. The illustrations in the book show the different movements of the penguins and the rituals that they go through.

Ages:
It is recommended for children between the ages of 4-8 years, although it would probably be more appropriate for older children.

Credibility of Author:
To create this book, Sophia Webb spent two months living among the penguins during the Antarctic summer. She kept a diary during the trip and also painted what she saw. This book is a Robert F. Sibert honor book.

National Standards that this book relates to:
The Science standards addresses are science as inquiry, life science, and earth science.

Access Features:
The author begins this book with acknowledgements to those that contributed to helping make the book possible. It also contains a little blurp about why she had the opportunity to live with penguins. At the end of the book is a glossary that contains words used in the text that the reader might not be aware of, such as krill, radio telemetry, and brood pouch.

Description of the Illustrations:
The illustrations are paintings that were created by the author in watercolor, gouache, and graphite. Each illustration comes with a description of the painting, so that readers are not confused by the multiple illustrations and text.

My response to the book:
I learned a lot about penguins by reading this book. It discussed the birth of the baby penguins, how they eat, stay warm, and are protected from predators. It is an excellent book that is accompanied by so many illustrations!

How I would use this book in my class:
This would be excellent to compare and contrast various animals and their habitats. It would also be great to start an inquiry about penguins or Antarctica.