Byrd & Igloo – a polar adventure by Samantha Seiple begins in January, 1926 on a pouring, bitterly cold day in Washington D.C.  Walking home from work, Maris Booth found a shivering puppy. She knew if she didn’t take him home he would die.  She snuck the puppy into her apartment and then to her work.  She cared for him, but knew he couldn’t stay cooped up day after day.  He was independent and determined just like, Maris realized, Robert Byrd.  She had read about Byrd and his daring goal to be the first person to fly over the North Pole.  Booth called Byrd and convinced him that this dog could go anywhere he could and would be a reliable companion on any trip.  Unsure at first, Byrd finally relented and thus began the five year friendship of a man and dog who traveled pole to pole together.

The puppy, soon named Igloo, was devoted to Byrd.  Igloo was left behind at the base and did not fly over the North Pole with Byrd on that first expedition – and he made sure that was the last time. Igloo went everywhere with Byrd.  He learned to deal with vicious sled dogs, wore a fur suit and booties to deal with the bitter cold of the Pole and was as dedicated to Byrd as Byrd was committed to the success and safety of each person in his crew.

Early aviation was exciting, dangerous and unknown.  Combined with the polar exploration and the growing science of the time, the true story told in Byrd & Igloo shares this interesting point in history.  The adventures of Igloo, a strong-willed, devoted, best friend, traveling along side the polar explorer from North Pole to South Pole, with Boston in between are exciting ones.  Igloo was quite a dog.  His adventures were many!

This would be a great family read-aloud or independent reading choice for either history or dog lovers.  It has many photographs to help readers picture that time in history.

Byrd and Igloo were the  first ones to fly over the South Pole, and paved the way for the establishment of a thriving scientific community living on Antarctica.  The work of these scientists is described in detail in the picture book Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester.  Sophie’s dad is the captain of the Aurora Australis, an icebreaker that is delivering supplies and people to Mawson Station.  It will be the last trip before the ocean freezes for the winter and 9-year old Sophie is going on the month long trip. It will take nearly two weeks to get there, she’ll have one week at the station and then she’ll return home – with a piece of Antarctic ice for her brother.  Sophie describes the ship, the crew and their jobs and how they spend their time on the boat.  She tells about the weather and what it is like to travel to the furthest southern point in the world.  We learn how she dresses to stay warm, what she sees and how the station works once she gets there.

The book shares Sophie’s thirty day diary of the trip.  It is detailed and interesting.  After reading it, I thought, for the first time, that Antarctica would be someplace I’d like to visit.   From the icebergs to the sunsets, from the penguins to the seals and even to all the challenging weather it seems like an amazing thing to experience.  It would be a hard and challenging life – but interesting and wonderful at the same time.  This is a one-of-a-kind nonfiction book for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.  I hope you read it and imagine.