Chronicles the miracle of survival of an emperor penguin egg, laid in the middle of winter in the coldest place on Earth, describing the behavior of the father emperor penguin whose task it is to care for the egg until it hatches.

"An emperor penguin mom treks up to fifty miles to bring food to her hungry chick. A toothy American alligator carefully carries hatchlings in her mouth, shuttling them safely to the water. A piping plover uses her best acting skills to feign an injury, luring predators away from her offspring. Whether building elaborate burrows, forgoing food for months on end to feed their cubs, toting hundreds of spiderlings on their backs, conducting patient swimming...