Heathcote

 

Dear Heathcote Family,

Happy New Year! The title of this month's book is 365 Penguins. It has the number 365 in the title for a reason.  (Sneaky Secret # 1 -- Something else also has 365 in it. Can you guess what?)The story begins on New Year's Day. On January 1st, a family is surprised by the delivery of a penguin from a mysterious sender. On the next day, another arrives.  Then, on the next, another, and another, and another……Who is sending these penguins and why?  Clues are provided but there is no answer to the mystery.  The family needs to feed and take care of these penguins.  They use their critical and creative thinking skills and their multiplication ability to help them solve many problems.  You can join in helping them as you read the story.  What solutions can you come up with? Do you know the answers to the multiplication problems?  (Sneaky Secret #2 -- They are provided upside down on the bottom of the page.) As you read along, can you keep track of the number of penguins?

  Did you know that penguins can be found in Antarctica and are considered an endangered species?  Antarctica is far from Scarsdale, but easy to find on any world map. Try to look it up. Saving endangered animals is not easy. It is much more difficult but there are many things we can do to help. 

This fun book was originally written in French and published in France. It has now been translated into English.  The illustrations are fresh and bold and help to pull us into the story. They truly depict the modern European home. (Sneaky Secret #3 -- A blue footed penguin is hidden on many pages.  Can you find him?)

Sharing a story, counting penguins and solving mysteries--what a fabulous way to kick off the New Year here at Heathcote!

    Warmest regards,

       Maria R. Stile,

          Principal