{"id":2901,"title":"World Book Day 2021","description":"Our favourite penguin-related books for the whole family to dive in to!","content":"<h3><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/y6tghsbgy7edj0yo5w3fyboliobvsmwwwr3o7xprbokptpdb.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"72494502\" \/><br \/>It's World Book Day on 4 March 2021, so here's our pick of some of the best penguin-themed books for all ages! Dive in and let us know what you think...<\/h3><p><br \/>-----<\/p><h3><em>The Penguin Lessons: A True Story<\/em><\/h3><h3>By Tom Michell<\/h3><p>Tom Michell is in his roaring twenties: single, free-spirited and seeking adventure. He has a plane ticket to South America, a teaching position in a prestigious Argentine boarding school, and endless summer holidays. What he doesn't need is a pet. What he\u00a0<em>really<\/em>\u00a0doesn't need is a pet penguin.<\/p><p>But when Tom spots a penguin struggling in an oil slick whilst in Uruguay, he has to help. And then the penguin refuses to leave his side.\u00a0Clearly Tom has no choice but to smuggle it across the border, through customs, and back to school. He names him Juan Salvador.\u00a0<\/p><p>Whether it's as the rugby team's mascot, the housekeeper's confidant, the host at Tom's parties or the most flamboyant swimming coach in world history, Juan Salvador transforms the lives of all he meets - including Tom, who discovers a friend like no other.<\/p><p>It's a great, easy read that's been translated in to 23 languages, featured on BBC radio and even has an audiobook read by actor Bill Nighy. Here's a sneak peek at the audiobook...<\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NYVdS2lz4KE\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><p>-----<\/p><h3><em>The Great Penguin Rescue: 40,000 Penguins, a Devastating Oil Spill, and the Inspiring Story of the World's Largest Animal Rescue<\/em><\/h3><h3>By Dyan deNapoli<\/h3><p>On 23 June 2000, the iron-ore carrier\u00a0<em>MV Treasure<\/em>, en route from Brazil to China, foundered off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, spilling 1,300 tons of oil into the ocean and contaminating the habitat of 75,000 penguins. Realising that 41% of the world's population of African penguins could perish, local conservation officials immediately launched a massive rescue operation, and 12,500 volunteers from around the globe rushed to South Africa in hopes of saving the birds.\u00a0<\/p><p>Serving as a rehabilitation manager during the initial phase of the three-month rescue effort, Dyan deNapoli (better known as \"the Penguin Lady\" for her extensive work with penguins) and fellow volunteers de-oiled, nursed back to health, and released into the wild nearly all of the affected birds. In this book, deNapoli recounts this extraordinary true story of the world's largest and most successful wildlife rescue.\u00a0<\/p><p>When she first entered the enormous warehouse housing most of the 19,000 oiled penguins, the birds' total silence told deNapoli all she needed to know about the extent of their trauma. African penguins are very vocal by nature, prone to extended fits of raucous, competitive braying during territorial displays and pair-bonding rituals, but these poor creatures now stood silently, shoulder to shoulder, in a state of shock. DeNapoli vividly details what is a harrowing rescue process and the heartbreaking scenarios she came up against alongside thousands of volunteers.\u00a0<\/p><p>DeNapoli's story is both heartwarming and riveting - not just a portrait of these amazing birds, or just a cautionary tale about the environment, but also an inspirational chronicle of how following ones passion can lead to unexpected, rewarding adventures.<\/p><p>We've listened to the unabridged audiobook version of deNapoli's epic tale and it's a fantastic one. Check out her TEDTalk below too.<\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zwjLQgNd7XM\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><p>-----<\/p><h3><em>And Tango Makes Three<\/em><\/h3><h3>By Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell<\/h3><p>This beautifully illustrated children's book tells the story of the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. There, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others, but their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.<\/p><p>According to the American Library Association, this true story about two penguins becoming fathers together is one of the most challenged books in US schools. Yet it's an utterly heartwarming tale that shows families come in different shapes and sizes - all with just as much love. Check out the video version below but don't forget to buy a copy to show your support!<\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4uOXUCiDE-s\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><p>-----<\/p><h3><em>Penguins: Natural History and Conservation<\/em><\/h3><h3>Edited by Pablo Garcia Borboroglu and P. Dee Boersma<\/h3><p>For a great factual book about different penguin species, this one is essential for your library! Originally published in 2013, it explores eighteen penguin species - from the majestic emperor penguins of the Antarctic to the tiny blue penguins of New Zealand and Australia; from the northern rockhopper penguins of the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans to the Galapagos penguins of the equator.<\/p><p>Written by leading experts in the field, it explore each species in depth - their life history, distribution, population sizes and trends, conservation status, threats to their survival, legal protection and more. It describes current conservation efforts, outlines the most important actions to be taken to increase each population's resilience, and recommends further research needed to protect penguins and the living creatures that share their environment.<\/p><p>The book is beautifully illustrated with full-colour photographs of each species in their natural habitat and detailed charts and graphs, making it an ideal reference work.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/5e602728ac30c7.84864471.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"46944059\" \/><br \/>-----<\/p><h3><em>My Penguin Year: Living with the Emperors - A Journey of Discovery<\/em><\/h3><h3>By Lindsay McCrae<\/h3><p>We're yet to read this one but it's next on our list! Available in hardcover for now, it's the story of BAFTA-winning cameraman Lindsay McCrae who was asked by the BBC to head to Antarctica to film emperor penguins for the channel's new <em>Dynasties <\/em>series.<\/p><p>After discussing it with his wife, Becky, they agreed that although it would mean Lindsay being away for 11 months, he should do it. But then she became pregnant and it seemed like the worst idea in the world - not just to miss the birth of his first child, but the first 7 months of his life. Weeks of anguished discussions followed before they decided he should go because it was his dream project and the chance might never come again.\u00a0<\/p><p><em>My Penguin Year<\/em>\u00a0recounts Lindsay's adventure to the end of the Earth, filming the most resilient creatures in nature, while coping with being over 15,000km away from Becky and all the comforts of home - something which almost proved too much. Out of that experience he has written this portrait of Antarctica's most extraordinary residents, the emperor penguins. They march up to 100 miles over solid ice to reach their breeding grounds. They choose to breed in the depths of the worst winter on the planet; and in an unusual role reversal, the males incubate the eggs, fasting for over 100 days to ensure they introduce their chicks safely into their new frozen world. And they are uniquely vulnerable to the unprecedented melting of the polar ice cap.<\/p><p>For some incredible behind the scenes footage from the programme, check out this clip from BBC Earth...<\/p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2Co_hmLenD8\/?modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;controls=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;vq=highres\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><p>-----<\/p><h3><em>The Emperor's Egg<\/em><\/h3><h3>By Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Jane Chapman<\/h3><p>Recommended by our friends at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanccob.co.za\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SANCCOB<\/a>, this one is aimed at 5-7 year olds, but it's actually great for all ages! Beautifully illustrated, it tells the story of the Emperor penguin - the only large animal to remain on the Antarctic mainland throughout its bitterly inhospitable winter. Once the female has laid her egg, she heads back to the sea, leaving the male to incubate it. He then spends two months standing on the freezing cold ice with the egg on his feet... and this is his story. This one is a superb non-fiction book - for the classroom and for the home. Great for learning about wildlife and the environment, and to highlight how individuals in families can have different roles.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/5e61fda6f3f467.35183305.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"47006594\" \/><br \/><br \/>-----<\/p><h3><em>All About Penguins: Discover Life on Land and in the Sea<\/em><\/h3><h3>By Dyan deNapoli<\/h3><p>The Penguin Lady (as Dyan is affectionately know!) has a second entry on our list with her December 2020 book for children aged 5 to 7. If they've ever wondered what it's like to be a penguin, now they can learn more about what it's like to zoom through the ocean, dive for krill, or flop on their belly and toboggan across ice. The book is beautifully illustrated and packed with detail as it takes us on an expedition to South Georgia Island and beyond to share Dyan's awesome knowledge of every penguin species. It'll help your child (and intrigued parents!) discover what penguins sound like, how they stay warm on land and while swimming, why they can't fly, and how penguin families raise their chicks, amongst other insight.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/k4i0nqjr4px8oj5cptkwed7sfw5zyh89sdq8tlritcdm4ykl.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"69433179\" \/><br \/>-----<br \/><br \/><br \/><\/p><h3>We'll keep adding to our penguin list, so get in touch if you've discovered a great read (or if you've written a penguin-themed book yourself!) and we'll share the best of the bunch here. In the meantime, happy reading and keep being kind out there.<br \/><br \/><br \/><\/h3><p><strong>Darren, Founder and Head Penguin at The Kind Penguins<\/strong><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/5e61fde7676f14.59827154.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"47006595\" \/><br \/><br \/><br \/><br \/><br \/><br \/><br \/><br \/><\/p>","urlTitle":"world-book-day","url":"\/blog\/world-book-day\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/world-book-day\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/kindpenguins.com\/blog\/world-book-day\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1583355810,"updatedAt":1614845492,"publishedAt":1614845492,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":53088,"name":"The Kind Penguins"},"tags":[{"id":894,"code":"penguins","name":"Penguins","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/penguins\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/lbgkrs2ia1fr1zg3xplfuvjcfvbg68wdp1w8xltrbff9zcai.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/lbgkrs2ia1fr1zg3xplfuvjcfvbg68wdp1w8xltrbff9zcai.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/lbgkrs2ia1fr1zg3xplfuvjcfvbg68wdp1w8xltrbff9zcai.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":2269,"title":"Our story begins","url":"\/blog\/our-story-begins\/","urlTitle":"our-story-begins","division":53088,"description":"From a London office, to saving penguins, to a mission to make the world a kinder place.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e0e107e59e0d0.24386987.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e0e107e59e0d0.24386987.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":2397,"title":"Penguin celebrations","url":"\/blog\/penguin-celebrations\/","urlTitle":"penguin-celebrations","division":53088,"description":"All you need for a happy World Penguin Day 2021!","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e26e340e873c0.23547705.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e26e340e873c0.23547705.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":3300,"title":"Being kind during self-isolation: Kindness to the planet","url":"\/blog\/planetkindness\/","urlTitle":"planetkindness","division":53088,"description":"Kindness to the planet when you're stuck at home... and how to get out in to nature by staying in","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e7f4d0cb09886.85363740.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e7f4d0cb09886.85363740.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}