A Penguin Story
by Antoinette Portis
In A Penguin Story, sweet little Edna the penguin thinks there are only three colors in the world. All she sees is the white of the ice, the black of the night sky, and the blue of the ocean. Yet, she feels like there must be more out there, so she sets out on a journey to find MORE COLORS. Without giving too much away, she finds what she is looking for...and realizes that there's even more out there to discover as well.
In a starred review, School Library Journal said "the interplay of the text and pictures nears perfection. A delightful story, delightfully told." And Booklist said "beautifully designed pages are filled with bold geometric shapes depicting the Antarctic landscapes and the few inhabitants."
A Penguin Story is by the same creative author / illustrator who blessed this world with Not a Box. Yep! Same one...and the same magic. If you know that book, then that's all I needed to say. You're sold, right? :)
Reading Level
Interest Level: Preschool - 1st grade
Lexile Measure: 220L
Awards Won
- New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2009
- School Library Journal Starred Review
- Junior Library Guild Selection
- Parent & Child Magazine Best Books List
See Inside
Below are sample spreads from inside this simple but memorable book.
It's amazing how a truly talented and creative illustrator can make such
SIMPLE illustrations so unique and special. Look at the penguin. Such
simple lines, yet something about her is PERFECT! (Kind of like the
adorable but simply drawn pigeon in Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus or David of the No David books!)
A Penguin Story Lesson/Activity Idea
After reading this adorable book to your class, you can have them make their own penguin story using the cute FREE penguin writing craftivity from the teacher blog Literacy with the Littles. We think the penguin in this activity looks a lot like Edna the Penguin from this book. Just make the nose and flippers pointy. :)
The provided activity has as the writing prompt "If I had a pet penguin" but you could alter that to any of a number of prompts. It could be information writing about what you've learned about penguins as a class. Or it could be simply a retelling of A Penguin Story. Lots of options.
Get the free activity here: A Penguin Story lesson / activity idea
