How Big is a Million?

"A million is a very big number. But exactly how big? Pipkin the penguin wants to know just that. Come with me on a journey of discovery and you can see for yourself."




I fell in love with the book, How Big is a Million by Anna Milbourne and Serena Riglietti, right away. I just love the main character- Pipkin. He asks his mama some of the same questions that we hear as parents from our curious kids! Questions like- How wide is the sea? and Is the moon made of cheese? Besides the fact that I can't resist penguins and enjoy learning about them, this book is just too darn cute! The illustrations are very sweet. My four year old told me that her favorite part of the story is when Pipkin is searching for a million and meets up with a baby seal cub.

Another fun feature is a suprise envelope at the end of the story that reads: OPEN THE ENVELOPE TO SEE WHAT PIPKIN SAW. I had fun reading this story recently to about five children and they enjoyed getting a little surprise at the end! (poster)
I've done projects in the past with my students relating to penguins, so I thought that this would be a fun book to link to websites and other related activities!

Literature Links
Penguins Around the World
I highly recommend this site and can't wait to share it with my daughters! I used this site with my second graders to research penguins from different habitats. They were surprised to see that species of penguins actually lived in Africa or New Zealand. When they think of Penguins, the first thing that comes to mind is a cold habitat! So this was so much fun for them to discover and a great geography lesson, too. I used an interactive map- click here, to teach the kids where the different penguins lived around the world. They researched a penguin of their choice and created a PowerPoint presentation to share with other children.

How can I use this website with younger children??

1. Have your child select their favorite penguin. Create a little penguin booklet that answers simple research questions such as-

What is the name of your penguin?
Where does it live?
What does it eat?
Describe your penguin.

They can draw picutures or you can print out photos for them to glue.

2. Compare and contrast two penguins from two different habitats!!

Skills: Decision making, research, science, geography and more!!!!

Other fun links, activities, and resources for young children:

Itsy Bitsy Penguin Booklet

Penguin Songs and Poems

Lots and Lots of fun Penguin craft ideas- finger print penguins, puppets,and more!

This was so much fun to write. I can't wait to do a little penguin unit with the girls soon!!

Happy Reading!!

Jen