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Penguinaut! by Marcie Colleen

 
 

READ!

Orville the penguin lives at the zoo, surrounded by animal pals who go on exciting adventures. A hang gliding rhino! A deep-sea diving giraffe! Orville struggles to keep up, until one day he concocts an adventure all his own: build a spaceship and fly to the moon all by himself. Can one tiny penguin get there alone?

Watch and we’ll see!


EXPLORE!

air Rocket Launcher!

Remember that children learn best when they do and get to try things for themselves! Invite your child to explore the project materials before you begin, since we better understand steps in a process when we know what we’ll be working with first. Also let your child take the lead; it’s more important that they have fun than for the project to be perfect, and they will be so proud to show you what they know!

The Big Five ideas for this book:

Talk: Once Orville reached the moon, he realized how much he missed his friends. Discovering the note of his elephant friend in his pocket and imagining his friends among the constellations made him feel a little better. Talk to your child about what helps him feel better when he is sad. Can you think of two new things to try the next time you feel sad or lonely?

Play: Build a pretend rocket out of things you can find around your house, like a big box, high chairs, or sofa cushions. If you have a smaller box, make an astronaut helmet too!

Sing: Sing: Sing the song "Blast Off", heard in the video read aloud! Here are the lyrics:

Zoom, zoom zoom, we’re going to the moon.

Zoom, zoom zoom, we’re going to the moon.

If you want to take a trip, get aboard my rocket ship,

Zoom, zoom zoom, we’re going to the moon.

In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…BLAST OFF!

Write: Invite your child to write a special note with you. (For a young child, this could be a drawing.) Take turns hiding and finding your special notes. Then read your special notes together or talk about the picture. Don't forget to display your special notes afterward on the refrigerator or on the kitchen bulletin board!

real world connection

Penguinaut! was inspired in part by the author's visit to see penguins at the San Diego Zoo. Did you know that you can see what penguins are up to?

Learn more about penguins at the zoo and see the live webcam here!


LEARN MORE!

Picture books, like Penguinaut!, are full of colorful illustrations that help children associate words and concepts with objects and events. These colorful illustrations are the first things that we learn to “read” as children since they show the action and offer clues about what’s happening in the story.

Let’s learn how we can help our children understand stories by asking good questions!

OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS

Asking questions while we read sparks conversation and helps children understand what’s happening in a story. Open ended questions are questions that can be answered in different ways, leaving room for children to show us their thinking or what catches their attention. Open ended questions also help children become better readers because they prompt conversation.

Think of a volley ball game where the ball is hit back and forth across the net. That’s the kind of conversation that open ended questions can create! This kind of conversation is powerful for children because it gives them a chance to practice different ways to use words by listening, thinking and speaking.

Try asking these golden, open ended questions that work with any book:

  • What to you see? (Gives kids a chance to show us what grabs their attention)

  • What do you think will happen?

  • What made you think that?

Try these open-ended questions while reading Penguinaut!:

  • When Orville draws plans for getting to the moon, “Tell me about Orville’s plans to get to the moon. How else can he try to get there?”

  • When the elephant tucks the note in Orville’s space suit pocket, ask “Oh, look a note! What do you think it says?”