Emperor Penguins (World's Best Animal Dads (Little Acorns))

EMPEROR PENGUINS is an overall interesting story about how baby penguins are born and cared for. The story begins with a male penguin heading out to find his mate. They then have an egg that he takes care of. When the baby is born, he feeds it until the mother penguin comes back with food. The baby then grows up and can be a dad itself.

What I loved: This contains very simple writing and phrases that are easy for budding independent readers to read and follow. The photographs work well to tell what is happening without going into too much detail. The book stays focused on the facts around raising the baby penguin. This will be a fun book for children who love penguins, as they will enjoy all the photos throughout. A glossary in the backmatter is also helpful.

What left me wanting more: The story seemed a bit too simplistic in some ways without really going into the father/world's best dad elements too much. Additionally, early independent readers may also be particularly into potty talk, so the picture with an arrow pointing out baby penguin poop may be a bit much. There is also a photo of the egg being laid with a little bit of blood. It is an actual photo, but some readers may be sensitive.

Final verdict: Overall, EMPEROR PENGUINS is a nonfiction picture book with information about raising a young penguin that will work well for some readers who want to see photographs of penguins and practice early reading skills.