The Great Penguin Rescue: Saving the African Penguins by Sandra Markle (review)

Few can resist reacting with an "aww!" when faced with a baby penguin, and the utterance becomes especially sympathetic when said penguin is a fluffy three-month-old waiting in vain for her parents to return from sea with her next meal. Markle's unanthropomorphized opening scene is a powerful entree into the plight of African penguins, once numbering in the millions and now reduced to thousands, that colonize Africa's southernmost coast. Exceptionally well-organized text leads readers through the reasons for endangerment, such as guano and egg harvesting, commercial fishing practices, and a massive fuel spill in 2000 from a passing cargo ship. Examined also are the efforts that have helped stabilize but haven't turned the situation around (artificial nests, fishing restrictions) and two current programs to rescue and return abandoned fledglings to their home (or even new) colonies, which look promising at present. That brings Markle back to the abandoned chick at the title's opening, as rescue workers help her regain strength, adapt to the presence of other penguins, and hopefully survive and thrive upon release into a new colony. Readers who face nonfiction with that deer-in-the-headlights look will appreciate layout features that guide them through the text. Markle's narration is clearly boxed in aqua spaces while close-up photographs of penguins and their tenders invite leisurely inspection; a map, timeline, source notes, glossary, index, and list of child-friendly resources are included. EB