Review of "March of the Penguins," from the film by Luc Jacquet

Review of

March of the Penguins, from the film by Luc Jacquet ISBN 0792274644

Five out of five stars

 The life cycle of the emperor penguin is amazing, they are incredibly adapted to life in the harshest environment on Earth, that of Antarctica, where the average temperature is 40 below zero Fahrenheit in the summer. Their breeding and hatching grounds are miles away from the sea, which is the source of their food. After the mother lays the egg, the father incubates it while the mother makes the journey back to the sea in the perpetual darkness of the Antarctic winter.

 When the egg is hatched, the father regurgitates some special food for the chick, even though he has not eaten in months. The mother then returns to care for the chick so that the father can go to the sea to eat and recharge. This continues until the chicks are strong enough to make the journey to the sea, where they will stay until they are mature enough to reproduce and continue the cycle of life.

 This is a great book that is extremely educational. The text is written at a level that early elementary children can read and understand and the images are of high quality. I strongly recommend this as a basic science book for children.