Survival at 40 Below
By Debbie S. Miller
Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle
Walker & Company, 2010
ISBN # 9780802798169
Grades 2-5
Nonfiction
“Along the Koyukuk River, towering mountains guard the magnificent valley. Their sheer faces watch the seasons change.
Click…click…click. Snapping hooves and grumbling voices fill the autumn air. With heads held high, a herd of caribou follows the river through Gates of the Arctic National Park. These regal deer wear new coats of dense fur, with velvet antlers curving toward the sky. Ready for winter, the caribou have gained a thick layer of fat from summer grazing on the tundra.”
The approach of the autumn season begins this story of the animals living in Gates of the Arctic National Park. Busy birds, squirrels, weasels, and deer prepare for the coming frigid winter and the narrative text follows more animals and their adaptations who must ready themselves for the 40 below temperatures. Antifreeze frogs and air gulping fish mix with the animals that hide and hibernate. The return of spring reintroduces the animals now ready to face the return of their activities in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
The writing is beautiful and descriptive and wide, landscape orientation allows for full spreads that show the vast expanse of this land. Endpapers feature a map of Alaska and an inset of the park’s location within Alaska. An author’s note explains her 75 mile trek through the park and what led her to write about these animals that survive the extreme temperatures here. My only complaint is the coloring of the title. It’s a glaring gold and doesn’t seem to fit the beautiful landscape with the caribou on the front. Other than that, the design is gorgeous. The back matter includes a glossary, temperature scale of extremes, and further reading and resources.
Activity
Choose one of the animals from the book. Research information and trace the animal’s life cycle. List the adaptations that that animal has to survive the extreme cold.
Learn more about the Gates of the Arctic National Park.
See this park site for kids. There are games and a slide show to watch with some of the animals.
National Science Standards: life cycle of animals; organisms and their environment
Book provided by publisher for Librarian’s Choices at TWU.
