The Emperor Lays an Egg

by Brenda Z. Guiberson, Joan Paley (Illustrator)

All the other wild creatures have left the Antarctic. The wind is too cold and the sun does not shine during the long, dark months of winter. But the father emperor stays behind with thousands of other fathers. Each of them takes care of an egg . . .

Follow as a penguin grows from egg to adulthood
in the coldest place on earth

In the middle of winter, in the coldest place on earth, the mother emperor penguin lays her egg. The father rolls the egg onto his feet and keeps it warm. He doesn't eat or even move for two whole months. Finally the egg hatches.

Stunning collages of hand-painted paper and clear, evocative text capture the beauty and drama of the icy Antarctic world and one of its most fascinating and endearing inhabitants.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Animals, Birds, Science, Nature, Family

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Brenda Z. Guiberson has written many books for children, including Cactus Hotel, Spoonbill Swamp, Moon Bear and Disasters. As a child, Brenda never thought she wanted to be a writer—her dreams tended more toward jungle explorer. She graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in English and Fine Art. She started thinking about writing for children when her son went to elementary school, and she volunteered in his class and in the school library. After taking exciting trips that involved a fifty-foot cactus, hungry alligators and sunset-colored spoonbills, she wanted to create books for children that would be like a field trip. Her books are full of well-researched detail, and Brenda sees this research as an adventure—one that allows her to be a jungle explorer at last. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

So yes, I really do find that Brenda Z. Guiberson in her 2001 picture book The Emperor Lays an Egg provides a detailed, wonderfully informative and as such also of course intensely educational (but at the same time neither textually overwhelming nor too replete with complex science and biology oriented vocabulary) description of how Emperor Penguins breed (from when the mother lays her single egg to when the Emperor Penguin chick is finally ready to leave its parents and venture forth on its own, descriptively and with very much description and detail showing how after the egg is laid, it is the Emperor Penguin father taking care of said egg and trying to keep both itself and the developing foetus sufficiently warm and protected during the bitter cold and dark of the Antarctic winter, often so cold in fact that the Emperor Penguin males must sleep standing up and often have to huddle together in large groups for warmth during blizzards, and that even once the emperor Penguin chick has been born, the mother penguin has returned with a full belly of fish from foraging in the Antarctic Ocean and the Antarctic winter has finally begun to abate, there is still the regular danger of snowstorms and freezing cold temperatures in spring and summer and that penguin chicks can therefore and unfortunately easily die of exposure if they get caught in a sudden blizzard).

And yes and finally, I also do much appreciate that even though Brenda Z. Guiberson textually points out in The Emperor Lays an Egg that during their fishing expeditions in the ocean, Emperor Penguins must constantly face and deal with the threat of being preyed on by in particular Leopard Seals, there are thankfully no graphic descriptions of penguins being killed and eaten by Leopard Seals being shown, which makes The Emperor Lays an Egg also suitable for sharing with more sensitive children (but yes, The Emperor Lays an Egg does show many of the threats faced by Emperor Penguins, just not all that graphically).

However, even though I consider The Emperor Lays an Egg a very good, a very informative introduction to Emperor Penguins (suitable for young readers and listeners from about the age of six onwards, but really not earlier than five years of age, as while Brenda Z. Guiberson's presented text is verbally not too difficult, there certainly is a lot of it present in The Emperor Lays an Egg and the sheer volume of words might be a bit much for toddlers, for younger children), I do have two main bones of contention with regard to The Emperor Lays an Egg.

For one (and yes, this does textually rather grate on me personally and in particular on my so-called inner child), considering how dense and verbose Brenda Z. Guiberson's text is, I do find the constant use of onomatopoeic sounds in The Emperor Lays and Egg such as swoosh and the like rather annoying and even potentially a tad patronising for the intended audience (and in particular for child readers or listeners above the age of eight to so). And for two, I also really do have to wonder why with all of the extensive information of Emperor Penguins presented in The Emperor Lays and Egg, Brenda Z. Guiberson has not bothered to include a bibliography with suggestions for further reading, as yes, since The Emperor Lays an Egg is clearly a picture book geared towards not the youngest children, a bibliography would not only make sense but also really increase the educational value to The Emperor Lays an Egg.

And thus, for me, although I do find Brenda Z. Guiberson's text engagingly penned and interesting, and also consider Joan Paley's accompanying artwork aesthetically pleasant, a very nicely rendered combination of realism and imagination and as such a visually very much successful mirror of Guiberson's printed words, the lack of a bibliography and my personal annoyance with the including of all that onomatopoeia, yes, for me, The Emperor Lays an Egg is and can be no higher than three stars.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, okay illustrations. Better for reading to small groups or individuals than a larger group, which may get distracted by the high text to picture ratio.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon Book Description:
All the other wild creatures have left the Antarctic. The wind is too cold and the sun does not shine during the long, dark months of winter. But the father emperor stays behind with thousands of other fathers. Each of them takes care of an egg . . .

Follow as a penguin grows from egg to adulthood
in the coldest place on earth

In the middle of winter, in the coldest place on earth, the mother emperor penguin lays her egg. The father rolls the egg onto his feet and keeps it warm. He doesn't eat or even move for two whole months. Finally the egg hatches.

Stunning collages of hand-painted paper and clear, evocative text capture the beauty and drama of the icy Antarctic world and one of its most fascinating and endearing inhabitants.

[Sara]

Non-fiction text-set: penguins

The Emperor Lays an Egg is a detailed account of the yearly cycle for adult emperor penguins. Expressed in a story-type narrative form, the reader is informed of what each parent goes through to keep the baby penguin safe. The narrative does not shy from harsh facts or the many difficulties it takes for emperor penguin survival. However the book does end on a positive note as the parents prepare to lay another egg.

Reader response / classroom connection:
1. Act out the various steps of taking care of the egg/baby.
2. Write a narrative from the baby’s viewpoint.

[Blessy Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a creative non-fiction piece. Guiberson creates a unique story by blending simple facts tabout a mother and father penguin and their journey with an egg. The information is very well-researched and organized, creating a fun book for young children. Her illustrations add great detail to the story. Her use of onomatopoeia adds sounds to her sentences.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another great informational text about animals by Guiberson, author of the famous Cactus Hotel. Curiously, she starts this the same way as Cactus Hotel, with the same "Plop!". This is a very thorough record of emperor penguins' first year of life and first year of parenting. Very interesting book. Well worth the read.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute picture book about Emperor Penguins. It's a pretty easy read (maybe 2nd grade?) but it has a fair amount of important information that will help kids better understand this type of penguin. I really like the pictures, too!

[Lori Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to a kindergarten class and they loved it. The actual story is nice and the facts on each page add to it. Teachers could present the book using puppets and with it being post Happy Feet days, students love comparing this book to the movie.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of text, great pictures, and accurate facts but this would be better in a small group than as a read aloud.

Edited 1/14/19
It's too text heavy for story time, but would be a great follow up for the kids to check out and take home.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author/illustrator team Brenda Z. Guiberson and Joan Paley tell the story of an emperor penguin couple and their egg/chick in this engaging work of natural history for the picture book set. After the mother lays the egg, the father quickly scoops it up, keeping it safe in his brood pouch for months while the mother makes the long trek to the sea, in order to hunt and eat. The egg hatches while she is gone, but she returns soon thereafter with enough food reserves to feed the chick while the father in his turn makes the journey to the sea. So it goes, as the pair take turns caring for the chick through the brutal cold of the Antarctic winter, while the other heads to the sea, and to their food source. The book closes with the penguin now full grown, and able to hunt in the sea by himself, while his parents begin the cycle again...

Although I have enjoyed other picture books about animals from both Guiberson and Paley, I actually discovered The Emperor Lays an Egg in the bibliography of Sandra Markle & Alan Marks' A Mother's Journey , another picture book about the emperor penguin. I'm glad I tracked this one down, as I quite enjoyed it, finding the text engaging and informative, and the accompanying collage artwork appealing. It feels a little bit younger in tone than the Markle/Marks title, perhaps because the artwork is a little more imaginative, a little less realistic in style. I did wish, given how I discovered this one, that it too had a bibliography, and perhaps a note giving more information on emperor penguins, but I still appreciated what was presented, and think young animal lovers, particularly those who love penguins, will greatly enjoy it.

Note: If half stars were available, I would give this a 3.5-star rating, but as they're not I rounded up.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emperor penguins have an amazing way of life in the very harsh environment of Antarctica. This story tells about one pair among many emperor penguins, and how they share duties in caring for their young always at risk of freezing. Beautifully illustrated.

[auds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for review of supplementary curriculum materials. Great storytelling and informative but not too difficult for young minds. Concepts are given in an age appropriate way that allows for deeper questioning and exploration.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than March of the Penguins

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to "A Mother's Journey" in several ways (a fictitious story about the reality of life for emperor penguins), this is another book worth reading in future penguin or Antarctica units.

[K Morlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book to use with my students when we studied penguins and Antarctica.

[Julia]

Follows parents as egg is incubated, hatched, parents take turns getting food, and grows up.

[Alyssa Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Emperor Lays an Egg by Brenda Guiberson is an informational non-fiction text. I would recommend this to primary teachers, primarily second to fourth grade. The book informs the reader of what life as a penguin is like, including life cycle details. It informs us of the roles different penguins have and what they do in order to stay alive. Not only is this book informational and educational for readers, it uses onomatopoeia to interest readers! I personally think this is a great book to have in a classroom library, since some children prefer non-fiction text. Also, as a teacher I could use this book during an animal unit, or possibly be creative and use it for a life cycle unit.

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book highlights the inherent drama of penguin propagation. Will the egg crack? Will the parents starve, or freeze to death when their feathers molt? Will the baby wander off and get eaten by a seal?

[Cheryl Meibos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of amazing penguin facts written in a story format. It is incredible that those Emperor penguins can survive!

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great to pair with a lesson about mammals.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is right up my alley as it is a nonfiction book about emperor penguins and their unique egg rearing!