Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems [Hardcover]

Judy Sierra (Author), Jose Aruego (Illustrator), Ariane Dewey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

From hatching and feeding to rearing and courting, the everyday adventures of emperor penguins come vividly to life in this unique collection of jovial verse. Young readers will identify with the challenges of childhood these feathered creatures face: waiting to be fed, searching for their mothers, or swimming for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Judy Sierra, author of the well-loved picture books Counting Crocodiles and The House That Drac Built, delights young readers again, this time paying poetic tribute to the distinguished-yet-waddling emperor penguin of icy Antarctica. Comical, cartoonish paintings by accomplished illustrators (and penguin lovers) Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey combined with Sierra's lively poems will have your favorite kids giggling and, perhaps, wanting a pet baby penguin of their own!

Youngsters will dive, swim, and glide through playful poems such as "My Father's Feet," which begins: "To keep myself up on the ice,/I find my father's feet are nice./I snuggle in his belly fluff,/And that's how I stay warm enough." "Penguin's Swim" starts, "Ten little penguins all in a line--/One jumps in and now there are nine./Nine little penguins, how they hesitate--/One tumbles in and now there are eight." Sierra's poems are based on the lives and habits of emperor penguins, so your kids will learn about life in the Antarctic from a penguin's perspective. This book is as irresistible as the fish-slurping, huddling, fidgeting, waddling, ker-plopping penguins themselves! (Ideal for reading aloud, but perfect for early readers ages 4 to 8.)

From Publishers Weekly

With winter still lingering, a listen to Antarctic Antics may be in order. This CD recording contains jaunty songs from the Weston Woods video adaptation of Judy Sierra's 1998 picture book of penguin poems (illus. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey) as well as Sierra's narration of 12 of the poems.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152021140
• ISBN-13: 978-0152010065
• ASIN: 0152010068
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in a very creative, book-loving family. My father was a photographer, and my mother was a librarian. They read to me constantly, especially poetry. When I was seven, they built me a puppet theater and I gave my first performance, "The Three Wishes." In college I studied literature, and afterwards I became a children's librarian. A few years later, I set out on my own as a puppeteer, quickly joining forces with another puppet artist, who became my husband. We studied traditional puppetry in Indonesia, and traveled all over the U.S. as teachers and artists-in-residence. About twenty years ago, I combined what I had learned as an avid reader and writer, as a librarian and children's entertainer, and began writing books for children. All of my books are meant to be read aloud and dramatized. To learn more about how each of my books came to be, please visit my web site: http://www.judysierra.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Cute!, October 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems (Hardcover)

I realize at the age of 14, I should probably be looking for books at a higher reading level. But I'm crazy about Penguins, so the book Antarctic Antics caught my eye. Though the actual poetry is a bit juvenile sounding, it's acually very educational and intertaining. Plus the pictures are ADORABLE! This is an excellent book, and my kid sister agrees!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun for kids of all ages, March 10, 2002

By 

J. Gwen Ingram (Dexter, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems (Hardcover)

An adult friend recommended this book to me (also an adult), figuring that I'd enjoy anything containing a poem titled "Regurgitate." She was right, and I found the rest of the book well-written and well-crafted, full of similar humor and the kind of realism-in-viewpoint that is sometimes (too often) lacking in books that feature animals. The illustrations are also excellent. I'm told that children do enjoy this book, but it's also captivated many of my adult friends ... including one woman to whom I presented a copy for her 55th birthday. Quality shines through any good work, and that's definitely true of "Antarctic Antics."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poems About Penguins., May 6, 2004

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems (Hardcover)

First of all, I love this book because I love penguins. However, as a piece of children's literature, it's so much more. This is an excellent example of how literature (poetry) and science can go hand and hand. There are some poems in this book that seem written just for fun, (e.g. "Be My Penguin"). However, most of the poems in this book are written about and around actual behaviors that penguins exhibit: from regurgiating their food to feed the young ("Regurgitate") to the motherly instincts of father penguins ("A Hatchling's Song" and "My Father's Feet") to poetic riddles about penguin predators (sea lion, killer whale). The book is charming, easy to read, and full of delightful penguin illustrations. A great gift for any child interesting in science or literature or anyone who (like me) just loves penguins.