365 Penguins is a 2006 children's book by Jean-Luc Fromental and illustrated by Joelle Jolivet which tells the story of a family who receives a penguin each day for a year. It was a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award winner.

365 Penguins
First edition
AuthorJean-Luc Fromental
Original title365 Pingouins
TranslatorMaggie Lehrman
IllustratorJoelle Jolivet
Cover artistJoelle Jolivet
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature, picture-book
Published2006 (Naïve Livres) (French); 2006 (Abrams Books for Young Readers) (English)
Publication placeFrance
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages44 (unpaginated)
ISBN978-08-1094460-2
OCLC70176775

Plot

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On the morning of New Year's Day a family receives an anonymous package containing a penguin and a note which says "I'm number 1. Feed me when I'm hungry."(pages 4,5) The family then receives a penguin a day for 365 days. The book discusses the problems the family experiences, including feeding and housing penguins, and in Summer, heat (which the penguins don't like), noise and the smell. After a time, the family appears to accept their lot, "You live penguin. You think penguin. You dream penguin. You become penguin."(pages 34,35) By the time of New Year's Eve there are 365 penguins in the house and the family is forced to celebrate outside. After midnight Uncle Victor, an ecologist, arrives and explains that the penguins' South Pole habitat is shrinking due to melting ice caps so he decided to introduce them to the North Pole. But as endangered species can't be exported he sent the family a penguin a day, alternating between a male and a female. Uncle Victor then takes all the penguins except Chilly, a cute penguin with blue feet, who the family agrees to look after. The story ends when the next day a very large package arrives containing a polar bear and a note similar to the first penguin note.

Publication history

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Reception

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365 Penguins has generally received positive reviews. Kirkus Reviews called it "A comic episode equally suited to sharing with one child or a lunchroom full of children."[1] while Publishers Weekly found "Comical math problems and an ecological message form a memorable counterpoint in Fromental's story"[2] Inis magazine described it as "A feast for the mind, as well as for the eyes."[3]

The New York Times saw "The retro pictures in black, white, orange and blue recall the days when full-color printing was prohibitively expensive and illustrators had to use their ingenuity. Here, the black-and-white penguins make a cheerful contrast to the orange people, blue furniture and — often — the chaotic mischief the penguins get up to." and "gets top marks in math and art, but it flunks ecology."[4] The School Library Journal wrote "This hilarious, oversize picture book integrates challenging math concepts and environmental concerns into a clever narrative."[5] and "Light on facts, but full of fun, this story has potential for many more math applications."[6]

In 2007 it received a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award honor.[7]

In education

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365 Penguins is in The Reading Agency's Chatterbooks Winter Activity Pack.[8] and appears throughout the world in school and government reading lists.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] It is also used to teach mathematics.[16][17][18]

References

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  1. ^ "365 Penguins". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 15 November 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  2. ^ "365 Penguins". www.publishersweekly.com. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  3. ^ Alice Brière-Haquet. "365 Penguins". Children's Books Ireland. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  4. ^ Polly Shulman (12 November 2006). "The Numbers Game (Sunday Book Review)". New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  5. ^ "365 penguins". www.bookverdict.com. Media Source Inc. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  6. ^ Barbara Wysocki (1 January 2008). "Focus On - Cold Comfort: Polar Places". www.slj.com. Media Source Inc. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Past Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winners". www.hbook.com. The Horn Book. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Winter Wonderland!" (PDF). www.readingagency.org.uk. The Reading Agency. p. 18. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  9. ^ "First Grade Summer Reading List" (PDF). cardinalfoley.org. Cardinal John Foley Regional Catholic School (Pennsylvania). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  10. ^ Toni Stagray (2011). "Let's Read" (PDF). Michigan Child Care Matters (89). Michigan Department of Human Services: 2. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  11. ^ "NSW Premier's Reading Challenge K-2 Booklist by Title" (PDF). www.doonside-p.schools.nsw.edu.au. The New South Wales Department of Education. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  12. ^ Ms Rebecca Sutton; Ms Syreeta Clifford (19 April 2013). "Numeracy - Extending the More Able in Maths" (PDF). Newsletter. Dulwich College Seoul: 5, 6. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Summer Reading 2009 Groton Public Schools" (PDF). www.groton.k12.ct.us. Groton Public Schools (Connecticut). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  14. ^ "What is Summer Reading Loss and Why Should I Care?" (PDF). www.ongov.net. Onondaga County (New York). 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  15. ^ "Maths". www.education.vic.gov.au. The Department of Education and Training (Victoria). Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  16. ^ "365 Penguins". nzmaths.co.nz. New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Math Resources Grade 3 Lessons & Activities Number Sense". web.sd71.bc.ca. School District 71 Comox Valley British Columbia Canada. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Maths in the Foundation Stage at Kirkbymoorside" (PDF). www.kirkbymoorside-primary.co.uk. Kirkbymoorside Community Primary School (North Yorkshire). September 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
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