Carol A. Cole

Have you ever read Mr. Popper’s Penguins? A similar experience occurs to Penelope Parker who lives on Penguin Place. Her favorite colors are black and white. For her birthday, her brother sends her one penguin from the Galapagos Islands. Then her sister gives her two Rockhopper penguins from Argentina. Next, three Chinstrap penguins from Antarctica arrive, and when a local newspaper reporter writes a story about Penelope and her penguins, people start sending her orphaned penguins from all over the world. Finally, all the penguins get to be too much. What will Penelope do with them? And when they’re gone, what will she do to keep from getting lonely?
When we lived in St. Louis, MO, one of the most popular attractions at the St. Louis Zoo was “The Penguin Encounter.” Based on a fellow-teacher friend of author Carol A. Cole who has penguin mouse pads, puzzles, wall decorations, and inflatable toys in her classroom, The Penguin Lady will help children learn more about penguins and the different areas of the world where they live, combining science and geography. It will also reinforce counting skills. The back of the book has a “For Creative Minds” section with further information about comparing and contrasting penguin adaptations, a true-false quiz on penguins of the world, and a hands-on activity related to penguin height. The publisher’s website has even more cross-curricular activities and interactive reading comprehension and math quizzes for the book. It is a great learning tool that is also fun. By the way, do you know whether penguins come from the Northern or the Southern hemisphere?… (meer)