Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica

Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica

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Like most penguins, emperor parents closely share parental duties once the chicks have hatched. But only the males take on the incubation duties. Emperor penguins are exquisite divers! While they mostly forage at depths of — metres, the deepest dive recorded was to metres. On average, dives last 3—6 minutes but the longest dive on record was 22 minutes.

See diving and travelling. They have a varied menu that changes with the season; some prey items are more important than others. One of the most frequently eaten prey species is the Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarcticum. They also eat other fish, Antarctic krill and some species of squid.

Most prey items are small. Since they are very cold when ingested, it makes it easier to bring the food up to body temperature and to digest. An adult penguin eats 2—3 kg per day. When they need to fatten up before a moult or at the start of the breeding season, they can eat as much as 6 kg per day. Breeding adults really have to fill up their stomachs before they return to the colony. They need to feed their chicks and the colonies are often a long way from the fishing grounds.

Emperor penguins have to face freezing conditions including katabatic winds that blow off the polar plateau and intensify the cold. To keep warm, the males close ranks to share their warmth. When carrying their incubation fat, emperors are about as large around the chest as an average man. On very cold days, as many as 10 of them pack into every square metre of a huddle.

In the huddle, individuals seem to temporarily lose their identity, and the group takes on the appearance and behaviour of a single living entity. The warmer they are, the longer their fat lasts. On a social level, huddling behaviour is an extraordinary act of co-operation in the face of common hardship. Emperors take this to an extreme taking turns to occupy the warmest and coldest positions in the huddle. On windy days, those on the windward edge feel the cold more than those in the centre and down-wind.

One by one they peel off the mob and shuffle, egg on feet, down the flanks of the huddle to join it again on the leeward side. They follow one another in a continuous procession, passing through the warm centre of the huddle and eventually returning back to the windward edge. Due to this constant circulation, the huddle gradually moves downwind. During a hour blizzard, the huddle may shift as much as m. An emperor penguin near Davis station Photo: It tells the story of a penguin chick from hatchling to adult.

It is told in a very dramatic manner, story-like and is easy to follow. The illustrations are beautiful and capture the qualities, growth and activity of this lovely animal. The last page provides lots of facts and additional information.

Physical description and related species

The story is full of facts, too and makes it seem like a hybrid between a non-fiction and story book without overwhelming the reader with a pile of facts. I loved This is an amazing, beautiful book. This one is great for a penguin unit. Highly recommended for Gr. Nov 21, Rosa Cline rated it really liked it Shelves: Mr London did a fabulous job at writing a 'Science' book for children without it being an 'in your face' Science book! Reading this book was very charming and written in a storybook format beautiful illustrations help make this story every easy and fun to read.

My 2 year old granddaughter followed it and enjoyed it as I read to her. There are facts about the penguins in this book incorporated within the story helping teach about them. Jun 16, Kelly rated it liked it Shelves: This book features full-bleed watercolor illustrations and begins with an illuminated letter. It is a story about an Emperor penguin chick from hatching to his first hunt for food on his own.

The author's note in the back certainly adds to the understanding and information in the story. The text is filled with meaty vocabulary words. Use this book in a text set about Penguins, fatherhood, or Antarctica. Dec 03, Dolly rated it liked it Recommends it for: This is an adorable and fascinating look at the life of an Emperor penguin in Antarctica. The illustrations are terrific and the narrative is short, factual and not overwhelming with details.

I love that the story is educational without being boring. We really enjoyed reading this story together. Aug 30, Christine Turner added it Shelves: In Antarctica, Little Emperor grows from a hatchling who depends on his parents for food and warmth, to an adult, ready to live in the sea on his own. Emperor penguin -- Juvenile Fiction.

Animals -- Infancy -- Juvenile fiction Parental behavior in animals -- Juvenile fiction. Antarctica -- Juvenile fiction. Apr 25, Rachael rated it liked it Shelves: Unfortunately, I can't remember much about this, sso I think we'd better re-read it! Oct 25, Susan rated it liked it Shelves: Very informative picture book.

Antarctic Penguins Facts

Jan 16, Debby Baumgartner rated it liked it Shelves: Discuss the growing up of a little penguin. Dec 06, Shelli rated it liked it Shelves: Informative picture book about the harsh life of the Emperor Penguins of Antarctica.

Sep 29, Debbie rated it really liked it Shelves: From Froggy's own Jonathan London comes a sweet story of a little Emperor penguin. Margaret rated it liked it Oct 31, Bryan rated it really liked it Oct 09, Anne rated it liked it Dec 16, Lindsay Curry rated it did not like it Jul 23, Nicki rated it really liked it Mar 12, Kouros rated it liked it Jun 14, Grace rated it it was amazing Aug 25, Guen rated it really liked it Mar 08, Brittny rated it it was amazing Jan 06, Elise rated it really liked it Mar 24, Linda Lam rated it really liked it Aug 19, Krithi rated it liked it Jan 28, Liz rated it really liked it Oct 27, Holly Jameson rated it really liked it Apr 22, Alfajirikali rated it it was ok Oct 08, Karen rated it liked it Nov 14, Lisa D rated it it was amazing May 23, There are no discussion topics on this book yet.

Australian Antarctic Division: Leading Australia’s Antarctic Program

Jonathan London is the author of several celebrated children's books. His commitment to honoring the wonders of the natural world has been lauded by readers and critics alike. He is the author of more than 70 children's books, many of which are about nature. He's also the author of the popular Froggy series.

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