Review by Booklist Review
A respected naturalist, artist, and science writer, Arnosky offers a large-format book featuring animals of the polar regions, tundra, and snowy fields, forests, and plains. In the welcoming introduction, he describes his North Country home and invites readers to join him, dressing warmly and following his snowshoe trail to learn about animals in the frozen wilderness. The wide-ranging text is informative on a variety of topics, such as how various animals maneuver in deep snow. Throughout the book, a colorful, full-page acrylic painting on the left faces a right-hand page carrying text as well as beautifully rendered, shaded pencil drawings in the wide margins. Some of the individual paintings, such as the scene of crows during an evening snowstorm, are quite beautiful, and all enhance the text. A number of gatefolds open out to give more space for an illustration, such as the large-scale, cutaway view of a beaver lodge and the two expansive paintings showing animals of the Arctic and of Antarctica. An excellent addition to science collections.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Arnosky introduces animals indigenous to cold regions, including semi-aquatic species like otters and beavers; snow travelers, like deer, bobcats, and polar bears; and animals of the Arctic and Antarctic. Arnosky illustrates the book with a mix of small pencil drawings and large-scale acrylic paintings, with foldout pages providing a greater sense of the ecosystems (such as a cutaway view of a beaver dam, covered in ice). Arnosky's hallmark respect for and curiosity about his animal subjects is fully evident: "I envy their physical perfection that makes them able to live their entire lives outdoors in the purity of fresh, open air," he writes in conclusion. "I live in awe of wild things." Ages 6-10. Agent: Susan Schulman, Susan Schulman Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Not all cold regions are the same, and their different animal populations employ very specific survival traits. As with his many titles for this audience, Arnosky delivers firsthand observations and thorough research of the topic, and includes a rich array of painted renditions of animals, as well as pencil drawings. The book is carefully organized into short chapters that include headings, captions, and labels, making it a wonderful source for report writing or for pleasure reading. Whether noting the brilliant construction of beaver lodges, the continually growing tusk of the narwhal, or the amazing wingspans of Antarctic birds, Arnosky consistently engages readers with an abundance of fascinating facts about the coldest season and those extreme locations where wintertime is a constant. His passion for the subject comes through in his introduction and author's note. Use this excellent, straightforward text along with Kate Messner's more lyrical Over and Under the Snow (Chronicle, 2011) to explore topics such as seasons, habitats, and animal adaptations. VERDICT A delightful and informative addition.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
How do animals survive the piercing cold and ice of winter? Arnosky invites readers to learn with his signature combination of detailed pencil sketches, colorful paintings, and a conversational narrative. Foldout spreads reveal Arctic and Antarctic animals with cold-weather adaptations for finding food and shelter, navigating in deep snow, building homes, etc. A personal author's note and a child-friendly book list are included. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Continuing his exploration of the world around us, a wildlife artist takes readers to icy polar habitats far from his Vermont home. Chapter by chapter, Arnosky introduces animals who thrive in spite of the cold: under the ice and over the snow in northern winters and in the Arctic and Antarctic. Acrylic paintings spread across the expanse of fold-out pages, adding to readers' feelings of immersion in these unfamiliar environments. The animals are shown in groups that would be unlikely in the wild, as when a polar bear and walrus look over the edge of an ice floe as a narwhal, beluga, and harbor seal swim nearby. These make for interesting comparisons. Shaded pencil drawings illustrate simple explanations of the reasons for seasons, the inhospitable climates of polar regions, and some of the adaptations that make animal survival possible. Even more than in Tooth and Claw (2014) and similar titles, the artist based his illustrations on photographs from reference books and pictures of animals in captivity, but in an author's note he reminds readers that some animals pictured migrate long distances and might also be seen in more temperate climes. With short descriptions filled with the kinds of details that intrigue young readers, he invites his audience to further explorations. A welcome addition to the eye-catching series that began with Wild Tracks (2008). (suggested reading) (Informational picture book. 6-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
