Antarctica by Moira Court

Antarctica will appeal to a range of readers - it certainly appeals to me. It is a counting book for the youngest children, it is filled with animals some of which you may not know (blackfin icefish) and the art work is so tactile. The language is also perfect to read aloud:

"Three lumbersome, cumbersome elephant seals lining the sandy shore."
"Ten crimson, vermilion sea stars creeping about on twinkle toes."

Have you heard of blackfin icefish? They live at the bottom of the ocean and have antifreeze in their blood!

Image source Wikipedia

Image source Instagram

I always find collage illustrations so appealing. The ones here by Moira Court are sure to inspire your students. You can see some of the art here from the publisher web site. The final pages of this book add so much with details about Antarctica and brief facts about each of the featured animals.

Here is a set of teaching notes and an interview with the author. There is also an interview from 2010 on the Kids Book Review blog.

You can tell this book is made with passion, great research and admiration for Antarctica, it would be a fun educational resource for young children, and could inspire further activities, artwork and discussions. Kids Book Review