Snowboard Twist (Outdoor Adventures) [Library Binding]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Outdoor Adventures

It's snowboarding season in the Teton Mountains, and the snow at Glory Bowl is fresh. But as Axel and his father, Dag, well know, new snow settling on top of old snow can also mean the risk of an avalanche. While Dag surveys the landscape for signs of danger, Axel and his snowboarding rival, Kelly, rashly begin showing off their moves,until ... Whoomph! Crack! Bang! A fast-moving snowslide suddenly takes shape. Axel, his dog, Grits, and Kelly must all act very quickly to avoid disaster.

In the third book of the Outdoor Adventures series, celebrated nature writer Jean Craighead George and award-winning artist Wendell Minor create a gripping account of the awesome wonder and potential peril of an avalanche.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4–Axel, who lives in the Teton Mountains, wants to go snowboarding after a fresh snow. The boy, his father, and Grits the dog head up to Glory Bowl to check the conditions and determine if it is safe. They meet Kelly, the captain of the school snowboarding team, and the youngsters begin to show off their moves. When a bird sets off an avalanche below them, it is up to Grits to cut her off from the danger. Minor's realistic illustrations are packed with action. Bright colors and varying textures depict the crisp outdoor setting. More confident readers will enjoy this well-written story independently. Featuring a popular sport, it also makes a strong addition to picture-book collections.–Rebecca Luhman, Greece Central School District, Rochester, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-4. George and Minor use the setting of snowboarding season for a lesson in physical science, showing the effect of snowfall in the Teton Mountains: how the layers of new and old snow interact, and how avalanches are made, and how they can be predicted and directed. There is a story here, too, and the cast includes young Axel; his dog, Grits; his father, Dag, who is a snow patrol officer; and Kelly, Axel's snowboarding rival. Axel puts Kelly in danger by not listening to the snow-warning sights and sounds, but Grits helps rescue her. Apparently none the worse for their close call, children, dog, and father go off to snowboard down the mountain. Minor's natural style and his clear rich colors--the blues, greens, and icy whites of the Tetons-- are the right accompaniment, and Grits is as cute as critters come. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060505966
• ISBN-13: 978-0060505967
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,674,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.