About This Book

This heartwarming true story is skillfully told in rhyming text by noted I SPY author Jean Marzollo, and the pictures on every page help show how creativity and ingenuity saved Pierre's life. When Pierre, an African penguin living at the California Academy of Sciences, begins to lose his feathers, the zookeepers don't know how to help him, and Pam Schaller, a senior aquatic biologist, worries that Pierre's bald spots will be dangerous to his health. Not only does Pierre become cold and afraid to swim, but the other penguins start to ignore him. Pam and the other biologists try everything they can think of to help Pierre, but heaters and medications just don't help. Finally, Pam comes up with an imaginative solution: She designs a neoprene wetsuit that keeps Pierre warm when swimming. The suit works so well, he recovers fully, and his feathers eventually start to grow back.

About the Authors or Illustrators

Jean Marzollo

When I was young, I liked to sew, play baseball, and read. I was drawn to poetry early in life. I loved to read, and one of my favorite books as a child was A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. Also, my mother had several small poetry books on her bookshelf. With their leather covers and gold titles, they were treasures to me.

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