Fact Friday: The Great Penguin Rescue: saving the African penguins by Sandra Markle

The Great Penguin Rescue: saving the African penguins by Sandra Markle. Sandra Markle's Science Discover Series. 48 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, August, 2017. 9781512413151. (Review of purchased finished copy.) 

Did you know that there are penguin colonies off the coast of Southern Africa? I always thought penguins only inhabited Antarctica. Just goes to show how much anyone can learn from great children's literature! Time was, millions of penguins lived in many colonies along the southern and southwestern coast of Africa but human interference, in the form of habitat destruction and egg harvesting have brought the colonies to the brink of extinction. Opening with a heartbreaking tale of a starving three-month-old penguin chick crying for her parents while awaiting their return, Markle prompts readers to become invested in the fate of all African penguins.

Markle's storytelling is fascinating as well as accessible. The photos are equally compelling and complement the text. There is at least one crisp, clear full-color photo on each page, with many being full-page. Maps, diagrams and text boxes add extra information. Backmatter includes an author's note; a "Did You Know?" page; a timeline; source notes, a glossary and books and websites to find out more. The STEM teacher at my school is interested in using the title in a unit she has planned. 

This series as well as the author's other science titles have pretty much become an automatic purchase for me. 

ETA: I thought that I had already reviewed this title but a google search of my blog name plus the title didn't reveal a link. The doc that I keep with the links for my year-end didn't have a link, a search of my daily book talk spreadsheet didn't show anything. Then, this morning, a student of mine informed me that I had already book talked the book. This kid's memory is astounding. Then, I remembered that blogger is no longer secure and that google searches in Chrome do not return non-secure links, hence my not finding it. I can't explain why I didn't find it on my spreadsheet though. 

So, sorry for the duplication. It really is a great book though.