"Shuffle, shuffle, scoop. The father uses his beak to quickly move the egg to his own feet. He cuddles it against the bare spot on his fat body. Tucked into his brood pouch, the egg is safe and warm."

In the middle of winter, in the coldest place on Earth, the mother emperor penguin lays her egg. The father rolls the egg onto his feet and keeps it warm. He doesn't eat or even move for two whole months. Finally, the egg hatches, and the hungry father can travel to the ocean to fish for his dinner.

When the short summer comes to Antarctica, the fluffy gray chick grows a shiny coat of black and white feathers. The young penguin is ready for its first swim. Soon it will fatten up for winter, the long icy season when the emperor penguin starts its family.


Reviews:

Borrowing with great success from the techniques of fiction, Guiberson relates the amazing saga of Antarctica's emperor penguins laying and hatching their eggs, and then struggling to raise their young in one of our planet's most unforgiving climates--"the coldest, windiest, driest place on Earth." --Children's Literature

Educational information is presented informally and successfully blends with the storylike tone of the book. As the catchy title indicates, Guiberson's book is sure to delight readers. By describing the life cycle of the emperor penguin and the unusually harsh Antarctic climate, the author introduces young readers to the wonderful diversity of the Earth's habitats.
--School Library Journal Best Book

Well-researched and well organized, most pages utilize onomatopoeia that is sure to be enjoyed by young readers who can mimic the sounds created by these phrases ("Whoosh... whish," Shuffle, shuffle," "Gurgle, swish")... By describing the life cycle of the emperor penguin and the unusually harsh Antarctic climate, the author introduces young readers to the wonderful diversity of the Earth's habitats.--School Library Journal Star

(The author) creates memorable images through straightforward presentation of the material to bring the story to life: for instance, "It is such a strong instinct that one emperor who doesn't have an egg shuffles around with a chunk of ice about the size of a softball."
--Booklist Star

Guiberson packs a great deal of factual information into this well-paced story... focusing on the remarkable ways in which the penguins tend their eggs through the harsh Antarctic winters... an attractive choice for story hour if not a primary resource on the science shelf.
--Horn Book

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