Frozen Wild: How Animals Survive in the Coldest Places on Earth

by Jim Arnosky

Overview

Quietly it comes—the dark and chill of winter. And in the snow-covered fields and forests, the great northern plains, vast stretches of frozen tundra, and icy polar regions, wild animals have to survive day after day, night after night, out in the cold. How do they do it? Kids can bundle up and join award-winning author, illustrator, and naturalist Jim Arnosky as he follows the tracks of otters, beavers, moose, polar bears, killer whales, penguins, fur seals, and other creatures to discover more about their lives during this frigid season. Arnosky's stunning art includes five magnificent foldouts that reveal worlds under the ice and at the farthest, frostiest reaches of the globe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454910251
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	47,722
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 11.80(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	1130L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Artist and naturalist Jim Arnosky has been honored for his overall contribution to literature for children by the Eva L. Gordon Award and the Washington Post/Children’s Book Guild Award for nonfiction. Many of his books have been chosen as ALA Notable Books, including Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature’s Footprints and Thunder Birds: Nature’s Flying Predators, which was also included on the Bluebonnet Master List for the state of Texas. The other books in Jim’s nature series are Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles, Creep and Flutter: The Secret World of Insects and Spiders, Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life, and Tooth & Claw: The Wild World of Big Predators. Jim lives in South Ryegate, VT. Please visit jimarnosky.com to learn more.

Editorial Reviews

08/31/2015
Arnosky introduces animals indigenous to cold regions, including semi-aquatic species like otters and beavers; snow travelers, like deer, bobcats, and polar bears; and animals of the Arctic and Antarctic. Arnosky illustrates the book with a mix of small pencil drawings and large-scale acrylic paintings, with foldout pages providing a greater sense of the ecosystems (such as a cutaway view of a beaver dam, covered in ice). Arnosky’s hallmark respect for and curiosity about his animal subjects is fully evident: “I envy their physical perfection that makes them able to live their entire lives outdoors in the purity of fresh, open air,” he writes in conclusion. “I live in awe of wild things.” Ages 6–10. Agent: Susan Schulman, Susan Schulman Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

09/01/2015
Gr 2–4—Not all cold regions are the same, and their different animal populations employ very specific survival traits. As with his many titles for this audience, Arnosky delivers firsthand observations and thorough research of the topic, and includes a rich array of painted renditions of animals, as well as pencil drawings. The book is carefully organized into short chapters that include headings, captions, and labels, making it a wonderful source for report writing or for pleasure reading. Whether noting the brilliant construction of beaver lodges, the continually growing tusk of the narwhal, or the amazing wingspans of Antarctic birds, Arnosky consistently engages readers with an abundance of fascinating facts about the coldest season and those extreme locations where wintertime is a constant. His passion for the subject comes through in his introduction and author's note. Use this excellent, straightforward text along with Kate Messner's more lyrical Over and Under the Snow (Chronicle, 2011) to explore topics such as seasons, habitats, and animal adaptations. VERDICT A delightful and informative addition.—Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT

School Library Journal

2015-06-10
Continuing his exploration of the world around us, a wildlife artist takes readers to icy polar habitats far from his Vermont home. Chapter by chapter, Arnosky introduces animals who thrive in spite of the cold: under the ice and over the snow in northern winters and in the Arctic and Antarctic. Acrylic paintings spread across the expanse of fold-out pages, adding to readers' feelings of immersion in these unfamiliar environments. The animals are shown in groups that would be unlikely in the wild, as when a polar bear and walrus look over the edge of an ice floe as a narwhal, beluga, and harbor seal swim nearby. These make for interesting comparisons. Shaded pencil drawings illustrate simple explanations of the reasons for seasons, the inhospitable climates of polar regions, and some of the adaptations that make animal survival possible. Even more than in Tooth and Claw (2014) and similar titles, the artist based his illustrations on photographs from reference books and pictures of animals in captivity, but in an author's note he reminds readers that some animals pictured migrate long distances and might also be seen in more temperate climes. With short descriptions filled with the kinds of details that intrigue young readers, he invites his audience to further explorations. A welcome addition to the eye-catching series that began with Wild Tracks (2008). (suggested reading) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews