Arctic & Antarctic (Eyewitness Books) [Hardcover]

Barbara Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: DK Eyewitness Books

Discover the icy wastes of the polar regions and the remarkable plants and animals that survive in such hostile conditions.

Here is an exciting and informative guide to the vast, icy wastes at the ends of the earth. Superb color photographs of snowy mountains and frozen seas, rare animals and plants, and the teeming life on and under the ice offer a unique "eyewitness" view of our planet's polar wilderness. See a seal with a "trunk", a bear in a burrow, icebergs bigger than skyscrapers, 200-year-old snow goggles, and a pony's snowshoe. Learn about the northern and southern lights, the crushing power of ice, why Amundsen beat Scott to the South Pole, how penguins keep warm, and what reindeer eat. Discover why layers of clothing retain body heat, which birds are known as "pirates of the air", which mammals live farthest north, how long a walrus feeds on its mother's milk, whether lemmings commit mass suicide or not, and much, much more!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8?Generalized, broad overviews whose strength lies in the scope and quality of the illustrative material. The texts are serviceable, written in a dry, but evenhanded style. Much is explained in the captions to the museum-quality, full-color photographs and reproductions. Small inaccuracies in North American Indian include identifying Sitting Bull as a Teton Dakota; he was a Hunkpapa Lakota. Readers are told that "Sioux" came from the Ojibwa word for "enemy," but in fact it came from the word for "little rattlesnake," a derogatory term similar to "cut-throat." More comprehensive titles, such as Carl Waldman's Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes (Facts on File, 1987), are preferable. Arctic & Antarctic has spectacular photographs and diagrams to explain ice formations; tundra; and plant, sea, and wildlife of each region. Human life is discussed in spreads on native cultures and explorers. Sections pair up information about each pole, allowing for comparisons. This organizational method makes it challenging to isolate conditions unique to each place. A common, but flawed emphasis is given to Scott's failed attempt to be first to the South Pole; the brilliant and successful South Pole discovery by Amundsen receives a small side caption. Nevertheless, this is still an attractive title.?Jacqueline Elsner, Athens Regional Library, GA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789458500
• ISBN-13: 978-0789458506
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Polar Regions

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous book exploration of the North and South Hinterlands, May 26, 2008

By 

Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arctic & Antarctic (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

I am a confirmed DK Eyewitness fan. What a visual way--the fabulous color photographs and detailed but limited narrative--to get students into nonfiction to learn about things of the world, all over the world. Even at the top and bottom of the world. The Arctic and Antarctica. The North Pole and a continent. North and South. Polar opposites, except for the ice and cold and blizzards and a multitude of flora and fauna and even people.

Flora and fauna? Yes, I know about the animals, but plant life? They fill only three pages in the 64-page book. "Only specialized, hardy plants can survive the fierce winds, biting cold, thin soils, and short growing season of the polar lands" (18). Wormwood, a type of iris, long grass, a wort, a daisylike flower, primrose, and weeds (even in the icy lands) grow here.

On the other hand, animal species fill 35 pages (not counting man). One of the ugliest critters I've ever seen, a giant isopod (beauty in the eye...)grows up to 8 inches in the bottom of the ocean, eating anything it can find. Do you know starfish can live to be 39 years old? Musk oxen, Arctic tern, whales, caribou, arctic fox, ptarmigan, cranes, loons, petrels, cormorant, snowy owl, golden eagles, albatross, penguins, emperer penguins, polar bears, moose, grizzly bear, lynx, reindeer, the list goes on. Each two-page spread features photographs, habitats, food, products from the animals, bone structure, and so on.

The last section is devoted to man and his ability to cope with extreme cold and weather. Their natural clothing, hunting masks, bone carvings, ships, exploration, weather suits, sleds, homes of natives.

Always fascinating, always filled with material to keep a person busy for days reading all the material, studying all the pictures, DK Eyewitness book of Arctic and Antarctic is solid scholarship, page design, and sharp photographs that make images come alive. A wonderful book.

Memorial Day, Shreveport, Louisiana, temperature 94 degrees.
May God bless all our soldiers in active campaigns and fallen soldiers wherever they may be.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Choice, March 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Arctic & Antarctic (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

I'm a teacher and I find the Eyewitness books highly educational. I like the way the concepts are presented in a form without backgrounds. This gives clear facts to the reader without over taxing the attention span. The books are highly informative, presenting difficult concepts in comprehendable chunks that stimulate interest. I have almost the whole collection for my own children and they LOVE them!