Penguins Love Selfies
My feathered friends at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium help me make a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.
As my wife and I were getting ready to go into the penguin exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium yesterday, penguin keeper Jess Ries was explaining what to expect.
It might take a minute for them to warm up to you, she explained, while asking us to limit our sudden movements. Also, be on guard for projectile pooping—penguins are famous for it.
Ries said that the birds would probably nip at us a bit, and would definitely like the place-keeping ribbon dangling off of my notebook. Off-handedly, she also mentioned that the penguins liked seeing themselves in mirrors.
What I didn’t realize was how much that would mean the birds would like seeing themselves in selfie-mode. “I don’t like the face I’m making, take another one!” you can almost hear this gentoo whining.
So, what the heck were we doing in a penguin exhibit? Well, we had come to meet the stars of my newest kids’ book! It’s called THE FROZEN WORLDS, and it is now available for purchase!
The Frozen Worlds is all about the astonishing nature found in the Arctic and Antarctic, and it’s full of beautiful illustrations by the talented Claire McElfatric and science about volcanoes, auroras, orcas, polar bears, krill, and yes, PENGUINSSSSSSS.
While we’re talking about flightless birds, would you believe that one of the macaroni penguins there is 38-years-old?! Her name is Micky, and I swear she just stood right beside me on the same rock the entire time. Meanwhile, a young buck named Iceberg did laps around us the whole time, nipping everything in sight—including my book!
I’m so happy to bring you another title from DK (Penguin/Random House). My last book with them is also super fun for kids — it’s called Animals Lost and Found, and it’s all about endangered, extinct, rediscovered, and recovering species. Think of it like a kids primer on conservation and why we should try to save things like pandas, polar bears, and snow leopards. And if you really, really want to round out your collection of Jason Bittel kids’ titles, then no library would be complete without How To Talk To A Tiger…And Other Animals. I mean, just saying.
Anyway, from all my new friends at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium—Iceberg, Micky, Elsa, and Iggy, to name a few—we hope you’ll give The Frozen Worlds a look. (Order your copy today!)
Some of us just happen to think it’s good enough to eat.
