Fiction: “Julie of the Wolves” by Jean Craighead George. While running away from an arranged marriage at home, a 13-year-old Eskimo girl becomes lost on the north slope of Alaska and is befriended by a wolf pack in this Newbery Medal winner. The first book in a trilogy, the others being “Julie” and “Julie’s Wolf Pack.”
Fiction: “Black Star, Bright Dawn” by Scott O’Dell. In this adventure story, teenager Bright Dawn and part-husky mostly-wolf Black Star must face the challenge of the grueling 1,000-mile Iditarod dog sled race when Bright Dawn’s father is injured.
Picture book: “Mama, Do You Love Me?” by Barbara M. Joosse. A child living in the Arctic asks her mother a series of questions, and learns that a mother’s love is unconditional. The book is beautifully illustrated by Barbara Lavallee, who captures the characters and arctic animals in jewel tones and native touches.
Biography: “Snow Baby: The Arctic Childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary’s Daring Daughter” by Katherine Kirkpatrick. Nicknamed Snow Baby by Inuit friends, little Marie Peary often accompanied her famous explorer father on his expeditions as he sought to be the first person to reach the North Pole. A particularly touching photograph shows baby Marie reaching for a sunbeam after the long, dark Arctic winter.
Nonfiction: “Animal Babies in Polar Lands” by Jennifer Schofield. A simple introduction to the baby and adult animals that live in polar regions. Think close-up photographs of cute and cuddly seal cubs and several other furry arctic babies for the younger set.
