Astonishing tale of Animal rescue and extraordinary friendship.
By author Shannon Earle, Illustrator Renato Alarcao
The Penguin of Ilha Grande: astonishing tale of animal rescue and friendship, by Shannon Earle and Renato Alarcao, is a true and affectionate story of friendship, between Dindim the Magellanic Penguin and Mr. Seu Joao, the benevolent man from the village of Proveta, Brazil.
One day on an island off the coast of Brazil, on the beach of Ilha grande, a young penguin, all fatigued and covered with oil was found by Seu Joao. Dindim was covered with thick gunk on feathers and the bird could barely move.
Seu Joao, precisely washed his feathers, fed him sardines and made him all capable of going back to the ocean. However, no matter how much Dindim was persuaded, he kept coming back to the shore to live with Seu Joao. Soon Seu Joao and Dindim cohabited to become the best companions, the people in Proveta, Brazil had ever seen.
Until, one hot day in February, when Dindim molted his feathers, he swam deep into the ocean and was gone.
A rather melancholic Seu Joao longed for Dindim, as he went looking and listening for him at the beach. Then four months later, Dindim astonishingly returned and lived with Seu Joao for eight months. For the next seven years, on a yearly basis, Dindim would swim across the ocean to meet and live with his friend, Seu Joao for eight months and disappear back into the ocean, to come back again after four months to meet Seu Joao on his birthday.
Seu Joao from the book, ‘The penguin of Ilha Grande’, had never imagined that a creature living in the sea could get so attached to a human being like him. Author Shannon Earle brilliantly talks about the possible explanations of Dindim the penguin’s whereabouts today.
The book comes with informative facts about Magellanic penguins and the threats they face and conservation efforts in place.
- In the book, The Penguin of Ilha Grande, the adorable picture portrait like illustrations by Renato Alarcao, with brilliant hues convey the warmth and love of animal protection and conservation.
- The book, The Penguin of Ilha Grande, and its reflective message, will inspire kids and readers of all ages to learn more about penguins and their habitat.
- The book gives a foreground of oil spills and petroleum pollution which jeopardizes the lives of animals at the cost of human activities.
- It will raise awareness and sensitivity among the readers to support conservation efforts and become future conservation advocates.
- Most importantly, the book celebrates the friendship and the deep connecting ties between a man and an animal.
Author Shannon Earle is a nature lover, with a masters in environmental education. She has worked for many years for international biodiversity conservation.
Illustrator Renato Alarcao, has his masters in visual arts and teaches Art. He lives across the bay from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Book based Activities: A body of geography, adapted from SeaWorld teacher’s guide. Students will be able to demonstrate and relate where various species of penguins live. Find attached pdf for book-based student activities.
Check out the link, find more fun facts and book-based activities.
https://seaworld.org/animals/videos/penguins/
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