Arctic Alphabet: Exploring the North From A to Z [Library Binding]

Wayne Lynch (Author, Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

World-class photographer and science writer Wayne Lynch takes us to one of his favorite parts of the world: the Arctic. Using a plant, an animal or a phenomenon for each letter of the alphabet, Lynch describes the unique ways in which systems for living differ where temperature and light can be amazingly extreme. But Lynch also dispels the myth of the Arctic as a perpetually frozen landscape by introducing us to the birds, mammals, insects and plant life that thrive in the short yet glorious sun-filled days of summer.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Inspired by his love of the arctic environment, wildlife-photographer and science-writer Lynch shares his knowledge of its animals, plants, and landscape, combining two-to-three paragraph explanations and half-to-full-page background image photographs, one for each letter of the alphabet. The scope is lopsided, as it includes 18 animals, 3 plants, and 5 other arctic phenomena such as glaciers and Inuit. The use of a singular term when more than one of the creatures is illustrated might be confusing. Another odd feature is the use of multiple animals for one letter, e.g., "Voles & Lemmings" for the letter "V." In three instances, the photograph does not match the text. The most glaring error is for "Mosquito," which shows a photograph of a marmot. (The photo for "Hibernation" appears to be a squirrel holding a chipmunk in its mouth, and "Zooplankton" depicts two polar bears.) A few of the letters and corresponding words are quite a stretch, e.g., "Under the Ice" for "U." Despite these faults, the book is engaging. The introductory description of the Arctic is particularly useful. However, the lack of an index makes locating information difficult. Donna Walsh Shepherd's Tundra (Watts, 1996) is a more effective title for this audience.
Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AK
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

paper 1-55209-334-4 A flawed collection of full-color photographs and half-page descriptions of 26 animals, plants, and phenomena associated with the arctic region. Lynch organizes his material alphabetically, but aims his comments at far older children than the usual ABC-audience. He first provides three different ways of defining ``arctic region,'' but doesn't tell readers which one he's electing to use. He covers, briefly, such topics as the Aurora Borealis; the jaeger, a bird, who steals food by dive-bombing successful hunters; and the lousewort and how it received its name. An extremely questionable inclusion in an alphabet of mostly plants and animals is I for ``Inuit,'' ``smart people who lived where no white person was able to live.'' Despite the authors many careful firsthand observations, which intrigue, answer questions, and raise new areas for investigation, this volume is of limited use.(Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552093360
• ISBN-13: 978-1552093368
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,101,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interested in the Arctic?, June 27, 2000

By 

Diane Nye - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arctic Alphabet: Exploring the North From A to Z (Library Binding)

This is not your typical alphabet book. Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a natural phenomenon of the Arctic and has three or four paragraphs of text about that subject. The facts in the text are interesting. Did you know that the fastest moving glacier in the Arctic, located in Greenland, can move at a speed of up to two feet an hour? That beluga whales can sometimes lift the ice to get a quick breath of air before it dives again? That quivut is the soft, fine wool of the muskox? If you read this book, you'll find these and many other interesting facts. My third grade students make alphabet books and this is a wonderful example for them to pattern their writing after. The photographs that accompany the text are stunning also. The author, Dr. Wayne Lynch, has chosen unusual subjects for the book. This serves to expand the minds of the children who read or are read this book. For example, some new topics for my students include jaeger, kittiwake, lousewort, xanthoria, yellowcoat, and zooplankton. The author explains these topics in a way that children will understand.