Suit Youself! Penguins (Discover More) by Penelope Arlon

Thanks, no doubt, to their formal-dress feathers and wonderful wobble-and-waddle walk, penguins are among the most favored exhibits for zoo goers.

Despite the paucity of penguins in the northern hemisphere, children's authors and illustrators have also made penguins one of their most favored picks as protagonists, from Atwater's classic Mr. Popper's Penguins through Helen Lester's Tacky the Penguin to Tessa Bickford's recent photobiography Go Jojo Go!

With the winter months come those classroom units on snow and snow ecology, often focusing on the Arctic's photogenic polar bear and Antarctica's equally lens-friendly penguin.  Penelope Arlon's and Tory George-Harris' recent nonfiction handbook on those tuxedo-ed troops of penguins, Scholastic Discover More: Penguins (Scholastic Press, 2012) is scaled for the savvy middle elementary student looking for facts for classroom reports and projects, with chapters on such subjects as Penguins on Land, Penguins in the Sea, Penguin Feathers, Nesting Practices, and Danger!.

Penguin  physiology, habits, and behaviors are covered thoroughly but succinctly, and due attention is paid to all seventeen distinct types from the tiny rockhopper to the majestic emperor penguin. Text is augmented by large and clear kid-friendly color photos taken on a special expedition just for this book,  as well as maps, data boxes, and statistics strategically placed throughout the text. For the web-minded, the user is allowed to access an "e-book" reference offering still more facts and figures, with a user code provided in the prefatory material.  For elementary readers serious seeking stuff about those formally-suited and fascinating flightless birds, this book is more than suit-able.