Penguins are odd birds, but nice birds to have around…

Ok, maybe Tacky is the only odd bird 😉 Do you know Tacky the Penguin? He’s the first penguin I could think of when I set out to make a list of the best penguin books I could find.

While Tacky cracks me up, I wanted to make sure I rounded out our list with non-fiction books as well. So if you are in need of great penguin books for your kids/students, I hope this resource will help you decide on some fun (and a few factual) picks for your preschoolers.

You might also like: Blubber Experiment- How do Penguins (and other animals) stay warm in the snow?  

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Penguin and Pinecone

by Salina Yoon

Author Salina Yoon had a penguin book for each season…and then some! Penguin and a Pinecone is one of my favorites. It tells of a penguin who finds a pinecone and their sweet long-distance friendship.

Busy Penguins

by Josh Schindel and Jonathan Chester

One of my favorite, simple penguin books! Pictures are clear and captivating. The book is light on text (it doesn’t feature a storyline, only phrases and pictures of what penguins do), making it perfect for young preschoolers and busy toddlers!

Warning- there is a page in the book about penguins pooping….be warned that this will be kids’ favorite part of the entire book! 😉

Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice *

By Steve Metzger

A fun penguin-take on  the 10 little monkies rhyme! Great for early counting and numeracy skills.

Baby Penguins Everywhere

By Melissa Guion

Penguins Love Colors

By Sarah Aspinall

Teach color mixing in your penguin unit with this fun book about color-loving penguins!

If you were a Penguin

by Wendell and Florence Minor

A fun book with simple text that children love to learn to “read” on their own! This i a perfect pick for young preschoolers or toddlers.

Tacky the Penguin

by Helen Lester

The classic penguin book (and the first one that came to my mind when making this list!) Tacky is a quirky little penguin, with his own sense of style! He is a great example for kids to be themselves!

Little Penguin’s Tale

by Audrey Wood

A grandmother penguin tells the story of a little penguin who wasn’t follwoing direction and getting into all sorts of trouble. This story can be used to talk about the importance of following directions 🙂

Little Penguins

by Cynthia Rylant

Short book depicting spunky little penguins playing in the snow. I love that the illustrations are paper cut and torn paper, this could make great inspiration for kids to make their own papercut and torn paper art!

Penguin Problems

by Jory John and Lane Smith

This one is a crack-up! Since my kids always have random complaints (“my pinky toe hurts”, “The snow is too white”), this one was a funny story to hear of silly penguin complaints!  Read it and be ready to giggle!

Penguins!

by Gail Gibbons

Gail Gibbons is one of my go-to author’s when I need a preschool level non-fiction book. Her simple, informative text is perfect for young readers.

The Emporer’s Egg

by Martin Jenkins

This is a fantastic book because it shows how the male emperor penguins are responsible for caring for their young.

Pierre the Penguin

by Jean Marzollo

An incredible try story about a penguin who needs help staying warm in the cold water!

• Books with an * mean that this book is available as an audio recording from Amazon Audible. Try Audible free for 30 days and get two free books!