Penguin and pinecone

Yoon, S. (2012). Penguin and pinecone. New York, NY, USA:

Walker Publishing Company, Inc

ISBN: 978-0-8027-2843-2

The story Penguin and Pinecone is about a Penguin who finds a pinecone and decides to be his friend. Penguin plays with Pinecone until he notices Pinecone isn’t feeling well and has to take him home to the forest. Time passes and Penguin decides to go visit his friend Pinecone. When Penguin finally gets to the forest he finds that Pinecone has grown into a tree!  Aside from Pinecones size, nothing has changed between the two friends and they play all day. Penguin has to return back to the ice where he belongs but does not notice that he brought along a pinecone from the forest. Another penguin finds the new pinecone and together with Penguin, goes and brings it back to the forest.

I believe this is a good book for 3-5 year olds because it is a very simplistic story. Those children that may have moved away from other friends or relatives can relate to the story. Even if someone lives far away from you, you can still be friends.

The illustrations look like they were drawn with chalk. It gives the book a unique look to it. Children would enjoy the illustrations because they are simplistic and easy for children to recognize. I was drawn to the illustrations because they were different from your standard picture book. The chalk-like illustrations give everything a sort of texture that is very intriguing.

I would use pinecones as a provocation. I would either have a giant bowl of them somewhere in the classroom or perhaps leaving a few out randomly throughout the classroom. I could also use a felt board or magnet board and have a picture of a penguin, pinecone or a tree dressed up to provoke interest with the children.

Four Ways to tell the story:

1.     I will create a Prop-box that will include:

-       3 Penguin stuffed animals (1 main penguin, 1 grandpa penguin and 1 female penguin)

-       2 Pinecones (1 main pinecone, 1 other pinecone)

-       Yarn and little sticks for knitting needles

-       A pre knitted mini scarf for Pinecone and a larger knitted scarf for pinecone grown up

-       Fake trees to create forest and have Pinecone all grown up

-       Pebbles and mini pine branches to create a heart nest for Pinecone and Penguin

-       A little toy sled for packing penguins things

-       1 White piece of paper for Ice scene

-       1 Brown piece of paper for Forest scene

-       Cut up pieces of paper for snow and mini fan to blow them around 

2.     I will create a feltboard story that will include:

-Felt characters of Penguin, Grandpa Penguin, Girl Penguin, Pinecone and Tree (pinecone grown up)

-Felt props of yarn, knitting needles, sled, trees, pine nest, scarves, hats, bows for trees/pinecone

3.     I will create a magnet board using:

-A metal cookie sheet that I will paint white and blue for the snow scenes and Blue, Green and Brown for the forest scenes

-I will find either little wooden penguin, tree figurines and regular pinecones that I can attach a magnet to or print out a picture of each character and prop I need on magnetic paper.

Props needed are: Scarves, knitting needles, sled, hats, pine nest, rocks

4.     I will present the story as a puppet theatre using:

-Penguin puppet I have made or bought modified with magnetic hands

-A pinecone with a magnet so penguin can hold on to it easier and it can be involved in its own actions

-Make tree puppet using fleece and stuffing and either make hand puppet or attach to a stick

-Make other trees for forest props or paint a backdrop with forest

5. I can also just tell the story traditionally by having the children gather where they will be able to see the pictures and read them the story that way. While reading the story this way I would stop and wonder with the children on the page where penguin is playing with pinecone. On this page I would wonder “I wonder if Pinecone likes his new scarf.  If I didn’t stop and wonder on that page, I would wonder on the page where Penguin leaves pinecone, how penguin is feeling right now. I would cover up the page that reveals that pinecone has grown into a tree and reveal it after I have read the one word text on the opposite side. This might also be a good place to stop and wonder with children. The story is quite short and I don’t believe it needs to be chunked.

For extensions for this book I would do a pinecone arts and crafts day where the children can decorate their own pinecones however they want. I might also include an extension of going for a walk in the forest so the children can even find their own pinecones as well. We could also go and dress up the trees outside like they appear in the story. Either the children can help dress up the trees or have an adult go out beforehand and decorate the trees for when we go on our walk. We could also discuss how a pinecone turns into a tree obviously in terminology they can understand. Also explain that it takes quite a long time before a pinecone turns into a tree.  If children were more interested in the penguin aspect of the story we could also take a day trip to the aquarium to see the new penguin exhibit they have.