Busy Penguins (A Busy Book) [Board book]

John Schindel (Author), Jonathan Chester (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: A Busy Book

There's so much to do when you're a penguin. Join in the fun! The rhyming text and adorable photographs in this colorful board book offer a close-up view of penguins dashing, splashing, jumping, bumping, and going about their busy penguin lives.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-"Busy, busy penguins. What are they doing?" Schindel uses simple rhyming word pairs that introduce penguin life. Toddlers will enjoy seeing these lovable birds in action. Indeed, they are a busy bunch, from "meeting" and "greeting" to "pooping" and "drooping." The superb color photographs give action to the spare text. The animals stand out against the cold blues and whites of the arctic background. Readers will chuckle at seeing these dignified creatures in silly and endearing poses. This board book is perfect for youngsters to discover independently or to share with an adult.
Hennie Vaandrager, Byron Township Library, Byron Center, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This board book, straightforward in concept, begins with the lines "Busy, busy penguins. What are they doing?" and answers the question by identifying the birds' activities with rhyming or near-rhyming phrases such as "penguins bumping / penguins jumping / penguins sliding / penguins diving." Although parents may be taken aback by the page showing "penguins pooping," their toddlers will probably take it in stride. Each phrase appears on a single page accompanied by a clear, colorful photo of one or more penguins. A well-designed board book that manages to be simple without looking babyish. Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Board book: 20 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582460167
• ISBN-13: 978-1582460161
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 0.7 x 4.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Zoos > Nonfiction
  • #100 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds > Nonfiction

More About the Author

John Schindel is the author of the BUSY books series, which now numbers more than a dozen photo-illustrated books for the youngest of readers and their families. The series debuted with BUSY PENGUINS (2000), an immediate hit with critics, librarians, booksellers and parents who adored the rhyme "penguin pooping, penguins drooping."

John searches worldwide for the best photographers to include in the series and then selects the best combination of photographs and rhymes. One photographer sent him over 2500 pictures to review; the book needed only 19. Making BUSY books, John is able to combine his immense joy of looking at high-quality photographs with his love of writing books for young children.

In addition to the BUSY books, John has authored seven illustrated picture books for children 4 - 8 years old. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photographs - very engaging, June 16, 2001

By 

marared (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Busy Penguins (A Busy Book) (Board book)

This book was highly recommended to me by a clerk at a small children's bookstore who told me that for some reason toddlers seem to find it very captivating. I bought it for my daughter for her first birthday, and she loves it. The photographs are beautiful and there's something about the penguins that seems to really grab my daughter's attention. At 14 months she seeks out this book and will "read" it to herself. I agree with the reviewer below who said that the "penguins pooping" page is a real attention-grabber for the toilet training set, and though it could be gross, something about the fact that it's a penguin who's pooping is strangely charming and humorous (if you can stomach that type of thing!). Overall five stars for a book that my daughter and I both love - a great thing for a parent who has to read it over and over.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great photos, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Busy Penguins (A Busy Book) (Board book)

This book combines very good photos of penguins with action rhymes. Simple text with depictive photos. And while most civilised adults will say "Yuck!" at the Penguins Pooping page, it will very likely fascinate the toddler for whom that is a very important part of his life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Toddler Loves It, December 9, 2009

By 

C. Gee (Anchorage, AK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Busy Penguins (A Busy Book) (Board book)

I just love books with real photos. I love that it uses "ing" words, bright colors and although I was a little shocked by the "penguins pooping" pages, its a favorite with the kids. My 2 year old laughs every time. Make more books!