Illustrations and easy-to-read, rhyming text follow a colony of Emperor penguins as they emerge from the sea, find mates, care for their eggs, and are reunited when chicks have hatched. Includes author's note about Emperor penguins and challenges threatening the species.

A newly hatched Emperor penguin wants nothing more than to look like his tall, strong father. But when his own fluffy gray feathers start to fall out, Little Penguin is sure his wish will never come true.

In Antarctica, Little Emperor grows from a hatchling who depends on his parents for food and warmth, to an adult, ready to live in the sea on his own.

Joe, Fred, and Sam travel back in time to join Robert Scott's expedition to Antarctica and help him find the eggs of an emperor penguin.

Comparing herself to the larger Emperor penguins, Pip the Adélie penguin feels unhappy with her size until an encounter with a huge sperm whale puts things in a different perspective for her.