Poles Apart: Why Penguins and Polar Bears will Never be Neighbors [Hardcover]

Elaine Scott (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Santa Claus frolicking with penguins and polar bears--do you know what's wrong with this picture? Actually, no penguin has ever lived at the North Pole, nor any polar bear at the South Pole.
Using a wide range of disciplines from physics to geography to biology, award- winning science writer Elaine Scott explores some of the unique properties shared by the two ends of the Earth's axis, and other ways in which they are poles apart. Find out what makes a compass point north and why it won't work at the poles. Discover how a tropical island wound up as the coldest spot on earth and why only penguins survive there today. And learn the fascinating story of human involvement with the poles, from the early explorers to the impact of global warming.
With dramatic color photographs and clear, simple text, Poles Apart offers the perfect introduction to the secrets of the poles.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7–This slender, handsome book presents the literal ends of the Earth (if a globular mass can be said to have ends). From the peregrinations of Antarctica as it drifted away from Gondwanaland to descriptions of the magnetic poles, from penguins to polar bears, Scott provides an attractive window on the disparities of two cold places. She includes Pythagoras the Greek through James Cook, Roald Amundsen, and Robert Peary to give readers glimpses of the rigors of polar exploration. A section on current scientific research describes how that exploration continues today. Strategically placed color or archival black-and-white photos and reproductions enhance the engaging, informative text. An extensive list of Web sites and a good list of further reading titles are provided. Highlighting some of those choices, or others such as Meredith Hooper's fine Antarctic Journal (National Geographic, 2001) round out an informed vision of two inhospitable habitats.–Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. This handsome, informative book introduces the North and South Poles: their origins, seasons, composition, magnetism, people, animals, exploration, and recent changes. Scott vividly describes the difficulties faced by early explorers and explains matters such as why polar bears would probably not survive in Antarctica. The final chapter discusses recent research as well as the effects of global warming at the "ends" of the earth. The many excellent color illustrations include clear photographs of wildlife and mysterious, beautiful shots of the northern lights as well as maps and period photos. Scott writes well, never talking down to her audience but making scientific and historical information understandable. Though there are no source notes, the book ends with an annotated bibliography of books recommended for young readers and a list of Web sites. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (October 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670059250
• ISBN-13: 978-0670059256
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Earthquakes & Volcanoes
  • #93 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Earth Sciences

More About the Author

Elaine Scott was born in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, the middle child of three born to her father, George J. Watts, Jr., a banker and his wife, Ethel, a homemaker. Her father's career took the family to Texas in 1952 and there, with the exception of a brief stint in Nigeria, Elaine Scott has remained. Her books have appeared on numerous "Best Books" lists and have won various awards including the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award for Close Encounters With the Universe,and the Texas State Reading Association Literature Award for Young Children for When is a Planet Not a Planet? Her newest book, Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time, will be published in January, 2011. She is now at work on Buried Alive! The Story of the Chilean Miners, to be published by Clarion in 2012.

Elaine and her husband, Parker, make their home in Houston, Texas. When she isn't busy writing (which is rarely) she enjoys reading (of course,)teaching adults, visiting schools, and traveling with her husband, Parker--especially to Kauai, Hawaii,--or to Dallas to visit with their daughters, Cindy and Susan and the most outstanding grandchild in the world, Jackson Scott Beasley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making it understandable, April 23, 2005

By 

TexasReader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poles Apart: Why Penguins and Polar Bears will Never be Neighbors (Hardcover)

One of Elaine Scott's true talents is taking a complex topic and making it understandable for children and adults. She incorporates a fabulous mix of history, geography, biography, and science in Poles Apart.

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed reading this book., August 28, 2011

By 

AvidReader - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Poles Apart: Why Penguins and Polar Bears will Never be Neighbors (Hardcover)

I saw this book at a bookstore in Alaska during my travels and thought I might find it cheaper on Amazon. Sure enough, it was much cheaper. The book was written for age 8 and up, but I found it very interesting and educational. It is easy to read and gives information about the Artic and Anartica, some of which I have seen on National Geographic programs. I love polar bears and penguins and the book does explain why they will never be neighbors. I highly recommend this book for school age children, but it is written at a level that even adults would enjoy it.