Antartica: Journeys to the South Pole FROM THE PUBLISHER
Walter Dean Myers brings the dramatic race to the South Pole to lie in Antarctica, tracking the explorers of the South Pole and the dangers they encountered there, as well as their contributions to modern science. He describes the extreme climate conditions in Antarctica, the wildlife, the whaling and merchant sailing industries that took root there, and the various exploration parties, including James Cook, Richard Byrd, and Ernest Shackleton. Myers depicts the heroism and adventure of the expeditions using photos, maps, and illustrations to complement the text.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Augusta Scattergood
In this well-written look at expeditions to Antarctica, Myers offers more than dry facts explaining one of the last frontiers of exploration. Antarctica, he tells us, was "thousands upon thousands of miles away" from most European seaports when the early adventurers risked their lives to explore the region. Beginning with Commander James Cook's voyage in 1773, the author brings the adventure up to the present. Chapters include the story of Shackleton crossing the Antarctic Circle and Richard Byrd's voyages in the 1920s. The appealing black and white photographs illustrating the book present the explorers in a more personal light with pictures of the ponies used to pull Shackleton's sleds and the crew of the Discovery perched on the ship's deck, ready to set sail. A timeline, one-page fact sheet, and a bibliography make this a worthwhile addition to libraries. But Myers' book is not just for research and reference; fans of action and adventure will enjoy this fascinating look at not only the successes but also the failures of Antarctic discovery and exploration. 2004, Scholastic Press, Ages 9 to 12.
School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-The Great White South has long been a source of fascination and a destination for intrepid adventurers. In a lucid, well-written text, Myers presents a number of high spots in this long dance with danger, providing informative chapters on several Antarctic expeditions, from James Cook's circumpolar mapping of the ice fields in the late 1700s to Richard Byrd's forays in the early 1900s. He also includes notes on the scientific bases of the present day and a number of fact pages on such diverse topics as seals, latitude and longitude, scurvy, and the magnetic pole. Hitch this excellent work to such nonfiction titles as Carmen Bredeson's After the Last Dog Died (National Geographic, 2003) and Stephen Currie's Polar Explorers (Lucent, 2002) or novels such as Robert Swan's Destination: Antarctica (Turtleback, 1988) and Nancy Loewen and Ann Bancroft's Four to the Pole (Shoe String, 2001) for a closer look into the powerful motivations of these daring explorers.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A solid history of Antarctic exploration takes readers from the times when it was known simply as Terra Australis Incognita to the present-and beyond. Myers ably presents exploration of the region as a continuum, from Captain James Cook's first charting of the continent through the region's exploitation by sealers and the early-19th-century voyages before moving on to the great period of polar contests, with Scott, Amundsen, Mawson, and Shackleton all elbowing at each other to mark new Firsts. Such a treatment necessarily restricts coverage of each expedition to broad outlines, but readers will gain both a good sense of the interaction of the key players and enough background to move on knowledgeably to more detailed examinations of individual expeditions. Unfortunately, they will have to rely on their librarians for help, as there is no bibliography for further reading (only Myers's sources), a significant failing given the many fine books for young readers available. The narrative is infused with the author's enthusiasm, so much so that his final Captain Kirk-inspired exhortation works without seeming too unutterably cheesy. A worthy introduction to a fascinating subject. (timeline, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 9-14)
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