Kathy Darling

I liked this book for three main reasons. First, I liked how the author organized the text. The author made each page geared toward one type of animal found in the Artic. For instance, there is a page on falcons, a page on reindeer, and a page on bears. Then, within each page, the author includes a short description of the animal as well as a text box that lists key information about the animal. The textbox includes items such as the animal’s favorite foods, enemies, and birth weight. This information gives the reader a greater knowledge of the animals in a fun and descriptive way. By organizing the text in this manner, the students are able to learn a lot about each animal while being engaged in the writing.
Furthermore, I liked the author’s writing style. The author writes in a fun and descriptive manner that grabs the reader’s interest. For instance, the book starts with the lines, “Cold. Shivery cold. Snowy cold. Icy cold. Blizzard cold. The artic is any cold you can think of.” This line is able to get the idea of the Artic being a cold place in a creative and fun manner rather than simply stating, “The Artic is cold.” Therefore, the writing employed by the writer adds interest to make the information exciting and understandable.
In addition, I liked the illustrations that accompanied the text. The illustrations give the readers another important source of information that assists in their understandings. One or two pictures accompany each description of the animals in the book. These pictures are real photos taken of the animals in the Artic wildlife. This allows the reader to receive visual information about the animal that will assist in his or her understanding. Furthermore, there are small illustrations at the top left of each page that show a small cartoon image of the region in which the animals live. This allows the student to have a better understanding of where to find the animals instead of just hearing the names like “tundra” or “taiga.” Thus, the illustrations contribute to the reader’s understanding of the text.
The author’s big message in writing this informative book is first to provide the reader with information on the animal babies in the Artic. The second point, demonstrated in the last few lines of the book, is an emphasis on protecting these baby animals by protecting the Arctic regions. The author makes a note stating how everyone must preserve the ecosystem and prevent the animals from becoming extinct. Therefore, the book provides the reader with helpful information on the Artic, while emphasizing the need to protect the land.… (mer)