Free Growing New Plants by Jennifer Colby

This is the true story of Pierre, a small penguin in a big museum.
    It is also about the people at the California Academy of Sciences who worked together to help him through a hard time.

    Down at the end of African Hall, past statues of animals big and small,
    there’s an aquarium wide and tall, with real live penguins, 20 in all!

    African penguins don’t like ice.
    For them, a warmer place is nice.

    Here comes Pam with fish in her pail.
    The penguins are fed twice a day without fail.
    Pam enters the tank through the sky-painted wall.
    A hidden door there leads out to a hall.
    Some of the penguins look just the same.
    Wing bands help Pam call the birds by name.

    One day aquatic biologist Pam, observing the penguins, saw one in a jam.
    Gently, gently, she examined Pierre.
    His feathers were gone.
    His bottom was bare.

    Pierre was afraid to go for a swim.
    He’d get too cold if he dived right in.
    â€œHow can I help you? What can I do?”
    Pam had ideas and tried the first two.
    She tried a heater, and the vet prescribed pills.
    But nothing worked.
    Pierre shivered still.

    The other penguins grew afraid of Pierre.
    He looked so strange that he gave them a scare.
    They brayed at him as he shivered on shore.
    They made him feel worse than he felt before.

    One rainy day biologist Pam came up with a new idea—Shazam!
    â€œMy dog wears a raincoat,” she told the vet.
    â€œCould Pierre wear a wetsuit?” The vet said, “You bet!”

    Pam and a friend worked day and night to make a pattern that fit just right.
    Then a wetsuit was made of neoprene—the tiniest one you’ve ever seen.

    Carefully, Pam put on Pierre a wetsuit a featherless penguin could wear.

    Standing on a rock in his new wetsuit, Pierre the Penguin looked mighty cute.

    He felt nice and warm, and he wanted to swim.
    So what did he do?
    He dived right in.
    Splash!
    Whee-e-e!

    Now Pierre stood proud and tall, and nobody brayed at him at all.

    Six weeks went by, and then a surprise . . .
    Pam could hardly believe her eyes.
    Not only was Pierre no longer cold.
    He had NEW feathers! Observe and behold.

    Now warm in water, now warm on shore, guess who didn’t need his wetsuit anymore!
    Pierre made a nest for his very best friend.
    Their story goes on, thanks to Pam.
    The End.

Questions from Kids with Answers from Pam
    Pam Schaller, Senior Aquatic Biologist, California Academy of Sciences
    Why is the hall called African Hall?
    Because it has African animals in it.
    Why did Pierre lose his feathers?
    African penguins “molt” or replace their feathers every year. Pierre skipped molting for a few years so his feathers became brittle and broke off.
    Why did they grow back?
    The wetsuit kept Pierre warm enough so that he could put his energy into growing new feathers.
    How old was Pierre when he lost his feathers?
    He was about 24 years old. Pierre hatched from his egg on February 16, 1983.
    Why does your dog have a raincoat?
    My dog came from warm Hawaii. Her raincoat helps her stay warm and dry in cool Northern California rain.
    What is a “wetsuit”?
    A tight-fitting rubber suit that helps people stay warm in the water. I wear a wetsuit when I go into the penguin tank.
    Why did Pierre need a wetsuit?
    To keep him warm and help him float while he swam.
    What is “neoprene”?
    A soft rubbery fabric used to make most wetsuits.
    Why are the penguins’ wing bands different colors?
    The colors are different for each penguin when they are young. When they get older, they form pairs, and I change the color of their bands. Penguin couples have matching-colored wing bands.
    Why are the wing bands on different wings?
    Males have bands on their right wings. Females have bands on their left wings.
    What is an “aquatic biologist”?
    Biologists study living things. Aquatic means water. (Hence, “aquarium.”) An aquatic biologist studies animals that live in water.
    What other kinds of