A Caribou Journey

by Debbie S. Miller

Overview

An imposing line of caribou stretches for miles across the frozen tundra of Alaska. The sound of clicking hooves echoes through the air as the herd follows its centuries-old migration route. With their thick coats and their padded, shovel-like hooves, caribou are ideally adapted to their snowbound environment, and this lively children's book explores their habits and habitat—as well as the dangers that await the young and old—along this ancient trail. Writer Debbie Miller and artist Jon Van Zyle are keen naturalists and the premier duo in Alaska children's literature, and this beautifully-illustrated appreciation of the caribou brings this stately mammal alluringly to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781602230972
Publisher:	University of Alaska Press
Publication date:	08/15/2010
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	445,577
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Debbie S. Miller is the author of several picture books including A Woolly Mammoth Journey,A Caribou Journey, and A Polar Bear Journey, one of Booklist’s Top Ten Animal Books for Youth.

Editorial Reviews

"The focus is on the experiences of a mother and her yearling and newborn, as caribou activities are described. Dramatic depictions of their search for food, escapes from attacking eagles and tormenting mosquitoes, and the perils of migrating bring an immediacy to the description of their daily lives. The vividly presented information is enhanced by acrylic paintings."—The Horn Book, Inc.

Inc. - The Horn Book

"Miller provides information in the text that goes well beyond the picturesque. . .The oil paintings provide background vistas that will give the book appeal for very young nature enthusiasts."—Booklist

Booklist

Gr 1-4-A detailed, richly illustrated title. Miller is a natural storyteller and expertly interweaves facts into her narrative. Van Zyle's dramatic paintings that flow across each double-page spread are created with acrylics painted on untempered masonite panels, and vividly portray seasonal changes in the land and life cycle of the caribou. Both the words and pictures breathe life into the images of a cold and windy Arctic winter, the scraping sound of the animals pawing for food beneath the snow, the crackling of the ice, bulls fighting for mates, and numerous other behaviors. Because the text is superimposed over the illustrations some pages are a bit difficult to read, but well worth the effort for every word is carefully chosen to re-create the sights and sounds of the caribou's environment. An exceptional source of information and an outstanding picture book.-Roz Goodman, Bering Strait School District Media Center, Unalakleet, AK

School Library Journal

Although the picture book format and the focus on one caribou mother and her calf on the Alaskan tundra make this seem to be only a "storybook," Miller provides information in the text that goes well beyond the picturesque. For example, an illustration showing the caribou mother jumping in alarm is accompanied by text explaining the concurrent release of a strong scent from the animal's hoof glands--the literal "smell of danger." The oil paintings provide background vistas that will give the book appeal for very young nature enthusiasts.

Mary Harris Veeder

"Miller provides information in the text that goes well beyond the picturesque. . .The oil paintings provide background vistas that will give the book appeal for very young nature enthusiasts."—Booklist

Booklist