A Mother's Journey by Sandra Markle; illustrated by Alan Marks. Charlesbridge, 2005. 32pp. ISBN 1-57091-621-7.

SB&F review:

This fascinating story of a penguin family explains the roles of each parent through lyrical text accompanied by lovely watercolor and ink illustrations. The focus is on the mother, who, instead of hatching a chick, takes a 50-mile journey over ice and ocean to find food to fill her belly. She will regurgitate the food for her chick when it has hatched. In a unique role reversal, the male stays behind to incubate the egg.
Author Sandra Markle’s vivid descriptions place the reader squarely at the South Pole, where “firey green auroras light up the winter sky” (p. 9) and “roaring wind … swirls diamond-dust snow into a stinging cloud.”(p. 10) The author is careful not to anthropomorphize, except in one instance, where she indicates that penguins “feel” that it is time to return the colony. Illustrator Alan Marks’s brush finds every shade of blue-green icy water and reflects the rainbows found in ice floes, while each penguin has a unique look and stance, lending an active feel to the book.
The narrative is sprinkled with facts about emperor penguins: when they gestate, what the eggs look like, how they move, what they eat, and who their predators are. An author’s note at the end delivers more facts and trivia and establishes the authority of the author, who spent three seasons in Antarctica observing penguins. A Mother's Journey is a solid choice for classroom study or story time for the K-2 crowd.

About the author:

Sandra Markle has written over 70 nonfiction books for young readers, including he Grow Up Wild and Outside and Inside series. Her books have garnered awards from NSTA's Outstanding Trade Books for Children, Pick of the Lists, and ALA's Notable Books for Children. She was twice chosen to participate in the National Science Foundation's Authors and Illustrators program in Antarctica.

About the illustrator:

Alan Marks began his career illustrating for magazines and newspapers in England. His first children's book, Storm, written by Kevin Crossly-Holland, won the Carnegie Medal. Alan's recent publications include Pilot Mom and Planet Zoo. He lives in an old house in the Kent countryside with his wife and two daughters.

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