The Arctic winter is cold, snowy, and dark. The barren landscape is covered by a layer of snow that stretches to the horizon, with nothing to disrupt it but jagged rocks. There are only a few plants and no sunlight. And yet, there are animals hardy enough to survive this bleak environment: the arctic wolf, hare, cod, and fox; the snowy owl, polar bear, ringed seal, and Peary caribou, all inextricably linked together in the chain of life. With lyrical text and glowing paintings that capture this mystically beautiful environment with stunning realism, this unusual book fascinates and inspires children of all ages.
My 5 year old son loves this book series. The illustrations are beautiful and the repetitive text really brings home the information.
Quiet Beauty
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Madeline Dumphy aided by the illustrations of Alan James Robinson deftly presents the quiet and austere beauty found in the frigid arctic in her book Here Is the Arctic Winter. Young children will be mesmerized by the various animals to be found in the arctic.I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to present values to children at a very young age. Among the values which should be introduced is the positive view of nature and beauty. Any book that helps children understand and appreciate the beauty of nature should be praised and certainly Here Is the Arctic Winter is among those.The prose is told as a cumulative story with each page adding another line to the verse. Those familiar with some basic principles of reading instruction will recognize the value of this kind of tale. An added bonus to this is children learn such names of animals as caribou, narwhal and ptarmigan. The prose expresses the quiet beauty of the arctic during its long snow covered night. We can well imagine the howl of the wolf breaking the silence. "Here are the wolveswho howl at the skythat is dark day and night,where the sun does not risein this cold world of white:Here is the Arctic winter"Robinson's illustrations are gorgeous and skillfully match the prose provided by Madeline Dumphy. I love the image of the polar bear walking through the fields of snow and ice. Parents will enjoy pointing out the various animals seen on the pages of this book.I gladly recommend this book as a gift to a child as a way of encouraging an appreciation and love of nature.
Evocative, educational environmental kids book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I would very highly recommend Here is the Arctic Winter for kids up to 8-9 years old. Her haunting, cyclical verse and the beautiful illustrations create a tale my children demand to hear over and over. Actually, all of the books in Ms. Dunphy's "Here Is..." series are excellent --check them out!
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.