North Pole ⟳ South Pole

North Pole / South Pole, Pole to Pole: A Flip Book
Written by Michael Bright & Illustrated by Nic Jones
Age Level: 6-8 Years
Published September 8, 2020

Wear layers.

The Poles of our planet are fascinating. Their climates are incredibly harsh and frigidly cold, yet they are home to some of Earth’s most magnificent natural phenomena and wildlife. The Arctic sky puts on a show with the Northern Lights, while the Antarctic landscape is filled with volcanoes, ice caves and ancient lakes. Up North you’ll find polar bears, beluga whales, and narwhals, while down South you’ll see penguins, leopard seals, and colossal squid. And you might be surprised to learn that both Poles are actually polar deserts, receiving very little rain or snowfall each year.

“The strangest things to be found in these dry valleys are mummified seals; it’s so dry and windy that the bodies do not decay normally. Some have been shown to be up to 2,500 years old, and how they came to be here is still a mystery.”

Other cool facts include that the town of Verkhoyansk in Arctic Russia experiences the greatest temperature range of anywhere in the world, with lows recorded at -90°F in winter and 99°F in summer; that beluga whales have physically adapted over time to not have a dorsal fin, which enables them to swim beneath the ice without their fin getting caught; that beneath the Antarctic ice sheet are more than 400 hidden lakes, some of which have been sealed off from the outside world for at least 15 million years; and that blood-red water sometimes flows out from a lake under Antarctica’s Taylor Glacier.

The layout of this book is really clever. One half is dedicated to the North Pole, the other to the South, and readers flip the book midway through to transition. In addition to making it feel more interactive and engaging, this ‘flip book’ idea clearly divides the information so it’s easy to keep track of which Pole you’re learning about. And with so many fun facts to share with friends and family, you’ll appreciate being able to find things easily.