Jonty Gentoo

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Jonty the little gentoo penguin longs to find his true home at the South Pole. One night, he sneaks out of the zoo and sets off on an amazing adventure, all the way to Antarctica (with an accidental detour to the North Pole!).

English:

Think of some speech / thought bubbles to add to the illustrations.
Make a list of all the rhyming words in the story. Can you think of other words that rhyme with them?
Create a new page for the story in which Jonty meets a new animal on his journey.
Use the information in the back of the book to make some fact cards about amazing birds. Can you find out other facts?
Write a character profile of Jonty Gentoo. What words and phrases would you use to describe him?
Write a diary entry from Jonty’s point of view. How might he feel at different points in the story?
Think of other stories that involve animals going on amazing adventures. Which is your favourite?
Write a review of this book for an online bookstore.

Maths:

Estimate the length of Jonty’s journey from the zoo to the North Pole and the South Pole.
Find out the height and weight of different types of penguins and make some graphs / charts to show this information.

Science:

Write a report about penguins. Where do they live? How are they adapted to living there? What do they eat? You could also create an audio / video / multimedia report. This video about gentoo penguins may provide some useful information:

Make a food chain / food web that includes penguins.

Computing:

Make an animation that shows Jonty walking, diving or swimming.
Create a game in which Jonty has to reach his destination.
Record a read-aloud version of this story. Here is an example for inspiration:

Design Technology:

Make a penguin puppet and use this to retell the story.
Design a machine that would help Jonty travel more quickly.

Art:

Make your own illustrations of penguins and other creatures shown in the book.
Create a comic strip that shows a part of Jonty’s adventure.

Music:

Create a melody for an animated version of this story.

Geography:

Make a map that shows the journey taken by Jonty Gentoo.
What is the South Pole? Where is it?

History:

Study the history of human exploration in Antarctica.

PSHE:

Discuss the responsibility of protecting species like penguins.
Many different animals help Jonty to find the Antarctic. Think of a time when somebody helped you to achieve a goal.