Jean Marzollo - Pierre the Penguin: A True Story

Jean Marzollo has written more than 100 childrens books, including the award-winning I SPY series. With a graduate degree from Harvard, she has taught school, written books about teaching and parenting, and was the editor of Scholastics Lets Find Out kindergarten magazine for 20 years. Jean lives in upstate New York. Laura Regan is nationally known for her award-winning childrens books that feature exotic flora and fauna. Her artwork has been used to raise funds for many wildlife organizations. She is the illustrator of A is for Anaconda: A Rainforest Alphabet.

Laura lives in the Bay Area in California.

A True Story When Pierre, an African penguin living at the California Academy of Sciences, begins to go bald, the staff is worried. The lack of feathers causes Pierre to lose warmth, making him afraid to swim in the aquarium pool. And the other penguins start to shy away, giving Pierre the cold shoulder. Unfortunately, heaters and medications fail to correct the situation. But one rainy day, inspiration strikes a biologist named Pam.

While walking her dog in the rain, Pam notes that her pet wears a raincoat. Could a raincoat, or wetsuit, help Pierre? A tiny neoprene wetsuit is designed especially for Pierre. But will it work? Told in rhyme by noted I SPY author, Jean Marzollo, and paired with gorgeous paintings from noted wildlife artist, Laura Regan, this true story of veterinary ingenuity charmingly comes to life.

A True Story Written by Jean Marzollo and illustrated by Laura Regan This book is dedicated to Pierre the Penguin, Senior Aquatic Biologist Pam Schaller,
and all the other people at San Franciscos California Academy of Sciencesan aquarium,
planetarium, and natural history museum all under one roof. The people there love our world.
They study it and share with others what they learn. For the kids and teachers at Haldane Elementary School and the Philipstown Recreation
Learning Center, my thanks for your helpful feedback. For the kids and teachers at Haldane Elementary School and the Philipstown Recreation
Learning Center, my thanks for your helpful feedback.

For Irene OGarden, my thanks for your poetic advice.
For Aimee Jackson at Sleeping Bear Press, thanks for all of your help and encouragement.J. M.For Peter, my own Pierre, with love!L. R. This is the true story of Pierre, a small penguin in a big museum. It is also about the people at the California Academy of Sciences who worked together to help him through a hard time. Down at the end of African Hall, past statues of animals big and small, theres an aquarium wide and tall, with real live penguins, 20 in all! African penguins dont like ice. Here comes Pam with fish in her pail. Here comes Pam with fish in her pail.

The penguins are fed twice a day without fail. Pam enters the tank through the sky-painted wall. A hidden door there leads out to a hall. Some of the penguins look just the same. Wing bands help Pam call the birds by name. One day aquatic biologist Pam, observing the penguins, saw one in a jam.

Gently, gently, she examined Pierre. His feathers were gone. His bottom was bare. Pierre was afraid to go for a swim. Hed get too cold if he dived right in. How can I help you? What can I do? Pam had ideas and tried the first two.

She tried a heater, and the vet prescribed pills. But nothing worked. Pierre shivered still. The other penguins grew afraid of Pierre. He looked so strange that he gave them a scare. They brayed at him as he shivered on shore.

They made him feel worse than he felt before. One rainy day biologist Pam came up with a new ideaShazam! My dog wears a raincoat, she told the vet. Could Pierre wear a wetsuit? The vet said, You bet! Pam and a friend worked day and night to make a pattern that fit just right. Then a wetsuit was made of neoprenethe tiniest one youve ever seen. Carefully, Pam put on Pierre a wetsuit a featherless penguin could wear. He felt nice and warm, and he wanted to swim. He felt nice and warm, and he wanted to swim.

So what did he do? He dived right in. Splash! Whee-e-e! Now Pierre stood proud and tall, and nobody brayed at him at all. Six weeks went by, and then a surprise... Pam could hardly believe her eyes. Not only was Pierre no longer cold.