PENGUIN CHICK

Newcomer Tatham offers a clearly written, well-researched chronicle of a penguin’s growth cycle from egg to young adult in this Stage 2 addition to the ever-reliable Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. The chronological narrative uses short but interesting sentences to describe the loving care of the penguin parents and the varied sounds the birds use to communicate. The attractive design includes large illustrations on every page, with text blocks often set on colored backgrounds integrated into the art. Davie’s (The Night Rainbow, 2000, etc.) illustrations show the penguins in motion (swimming, sliding, and waddling along in their peculiarly penguinesque way), as well as standing stoically against swirls of spatter-painted snow. An author’s note offers details about several kinds of penguins and penguin movement. Guiberson’s The Emperor Lays an Egg (p. 1549) covers similar frozen ground with more notable illustrations, but with a longer text that isn’t as accessible to young readers. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)