The Iditarod Fact Book is jam-packed with fascinating facts and figures about the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race including information about the dogs, mushers, organizers and volunteers, sleds and gear, distances on the trail, and a complete text of the official rules. This guide is a must-have reference in any school classroom studying the Iditarod. Updated following the 2006 race, this handy guide has sections focusing on race champions, checkpoints, mushers clothing, the expense of running the race, inherent dangers on the trail, entry requirements, food for the dogs and drivers, race history and the Iditarod Trail Committee, pronunciations, mandatory layovers, love for the dogs, mountain passes and weather, special prizes, sponsors, strategies, vet care, and much more. Included are 20 b&w photos by official Iditarod photographer Jeff Schultz and illustrations by official Iditarod artist Jon Van Zyle, a member of the Iditarod Hall of Fame.
Tricia Brown fell in love with Alaska in 1978, when she first moved north from the Chicago area. For the next twenty-one years, she wandered the state and wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Anchorage Daily News, and later edited Alaska magazine before entering book publishing in 1998. For five years, she was acquisitions editor for Alaska Northwest Books and WestWinds Press, a job that took her to Portland, Oregon. Tricia has written six children's books: the award-winning "Children of the Midnight Sun," "Groucho's Eyebrows," "The Itchy Little Musk Ox," and "Alaskan Night Before Christmas." Two new kids' books came out in 2011: "Patsy Ann of Alaska," from Sasquatch Books, and "Musher's Night Before Christmas," new from Pelican Publishing.
For the grown-ups, the 4th edition of "The World-Famous Alaska Highway" was released in April 2011 by Fulcrum Publishing. Among her many other nonfiction books for adults are "The Iditarod Fact Book" and "Silent Storytellers," a beautifully illustrated book on the totem poles of Totem Bight State Historical Park near Ketchikan, Alaska. A grandmother of six, Tricia and her husband Perry currently live in Oregon. She travels to Alaska often to speak, research, and write.
Tricia is available for school and library visits anywhere in the country. Bring a taste of Alaska to your community. Check her website at www.triciabrownbooks.com for details on how to arrange a day or half-day visit to your favorite school or library.
