Feed Me!

About the Book

The book started out as a family weekend project, putting together a story on Gentoo Penguin childhood using pictures taken during a week’s visit to the breeding grounds of penguins around Bransfield Strait, Antarctica. During that visit, the weather was unusually favorable – no storms, no fog, no indication whatever that these parts of the world offer some of the nastiest weather imaginable. Thus, conditions for taking photos were ideal. The story emerged readily enough, based on observation, but there were requests for various additions and explanations, especially with regard to the leopard seal and other potentially threatening large animals. The appropriate illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop.

About the Author

W. H. Berger has degrees in geology and oceanography from Colorado University and the University of California. He works at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He has published more than 250 technical papers on ocean history, climate change, and marine ecology. His current research is on cycles in coral growth and on the effects of Antarctic climate change in whale evolution. He is engaged in public education through an outreach website at SIO, and as a speaker for the Rotary Clubs in the San Diego area. This is his first children’s book. Brianna is in kindergarten (2006). She likes animals and stories about animals, and she likes the beach and the ocean. She pointed out what is of interest to children, commented on the choice of names for the various characters in the story, and edited the text for clarity. She likes the story about Penny the penguin chick and hopes Penny will never meet a leopard seal.