Recess at 20 Below [Hardcover]

Cindy Aillaud (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

How cold does it have to be before Alaskan kids stay inside for recess? For many schools, if it is colder than 20 below zero, they stay indoors; otherwise, it's outside for frosty fun! This is is a photo book with text written from a child's perspective on what kids to during recess at 20 below. We see kids getting ready for recess putting on layers of outdoor clothing, and then somebody has to go to the bathroom! Going sledding, swinging, running around outside with frosted-up eyelashes and face masks. Then the aftermath: static hair after a hat's been pulled off, red cheeks and noses, etc. Young readers will delight in images of peers frolicking in the cold and during their favorite time of the school day!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Through minimal text, a girl describes dressing for and enjoying recess in Alaska, even when it is 20 degrees below zero. Colorful, clear photographs, many framed against pastel backgrounds imprinted with snowflakes, show the various items of clothing the children put on and their playground activities, such as sledding, making forts, and playing soccer or football. Telling pictures feature frozen eyelashes, hair, and eyebrows, as well as the mounds of clothing when recess is over. The only thing that stops these students from going outside for a break from their studies is a temperature lower than 20 below or a random moose.–Cassandra A. Lopez, Northfield Elementary School, Ellicott City, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Aillaud, who wrote the text and took the photos here, teaches elementary physical education in Delta Junction, Alaska, a town at the end of the Alaska Highway, above the Arctic Circle. By focusing on one school activity--outdoor recess (the cut-off point for the school's outdoor recess is 20 below), she demonstrates how cold things get and how kids deal with it and still have plenty of fun. The first-person narrative, from a student's perspective, explains the arduous process of suiting up for the outdoors, then follows the kids as they sled, adapt to playground equipment buried under snow, make snow forts and tunnels, and even play soccer and football. Twenty-five color photographs capture marvelous details: snow mounds, a moose on the playground, kids whose eyelashes are weighed down by ice. Aillaud, who won a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholarship in 2000 and was selected as a Disney Teacher of the Year, gives a familiar school-day activity a whole new meaning in delightful, intriguing fashion. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882406043
• ISBN-13: 978-0882406046
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic Recess!, March 9, 2006

By 

Grandma Pat (Renton, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Recess at 20 Below (Hardcover)

I shared this book with my grandson's second grade class and left it for the students to read during recreational reading. They all wanted a closer look! The colorful photos and snappy text bring this recess experience to life for kids, parents, and grandparents. As a former teacher, I could relate to all the preparation required for sending children outside on a nippy day. It is obvious this author has authentic background as a teacher in Alaska.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cindy Lou Takes You To A Winter Wonderland, November 12, 2005

By 

J. Thompson (Olympia, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Recess at 20 Below (Hardcover)

The author transports young and old alike to beautiful and snowy Alaska through the eyes of her students. Readers will experience the frost and snow as her students bundle up and frolic in a winter wonderland during their recess. Beautiful images and words abound in this lovely book. It makes me want to be a child again... and hear the crunch of the snow under my feet. This is a great book to share with children of all ages. I highly recommend this book for teachers, parents and children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too much fun!!, October 5, 2005

By 

C. Butler "pjmom" (Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Recess at 20 Below (Hardcover)

This book was so much fun to read!! Schools will love showing classes what other kids their own age do for recess. The author uses the greatest quotes from kids to truly capture, in kid friendly language, how the kids do it! We laughed our heads off... froze snot!