Penguins

We recently went to the New England Aquarium and were absolutely enamored with the penguins. They have a wonderful exhibit where you can watch the penguins race through the water and hang out on the rocks. Imitating the penguin's walk is a favorite pastime - waddle, waddle. On our next trip to the library, Emmy and I decided to find a book about penguins. Although we were looking for a non fiction book, we ended up coming home with Penguins, by Liz Pichon, and couldn't be more delighted. Penguins is the story of a group of penguins who live a fairly predictable life at the zoo: swim, eat fish, play penguin games, sleep standing up, look at people and look at more people. An ordinary day turns extraordinary when a little girl drops something into the penguin's pen.

After all the people have gone, a little penguin notices something. "DON'T TOUCH IT!" says his mother. "Somebody will be back for it." But nobody comes back. The little penguin moves closer for a better look. He goes over and picks it up. "It's a camera!" says the little penguin. "What do you do with a camera?" the other penguins ask. "You smile at it!" says the little penguin, grinning.

The best part of this book, according to Emmy, is the viewfinder page where the little penguin looks through the camera lens, puts his flipper on the button and says, "Everyone look at me

and say FISH!" The penguins are hilarious as they "ham it up" for the camera until it stops working (think back to the days of a film, rather than a digital, camera). The little penguin puts it back where he found it. When the zookeeper comes across it, he takes it to the lost and found where it is returned to the little girl with a few peck marks. A few days later the pictures are developed and what a surprise! Emmy LOVES the set of photographs at the end of the book and you will too!!!!