Here Is Antarctica

by Madeleine Dunphy, Tom Leonard (Illustrator)

Overview

Penguins, whales, seals, fish, and many other animals are all part of the food web of Antarctica. Environmentalist author Madeleine Dunphy uses a cumulative approach, combining lyrical verse with repetition, to reveal the interdependency of life in Antarctica. Tom Leonard's vibrant paintings, from the flash of orange on a penguin's beak to iridesent icebergs jutting from the sea, beautifully capture a wondrous miracle--the circle of life.
HERE IS ANTARCTICA will fascinate and inspire children as they explore this endangered environment page by page.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780988330214
Publisher:	Web of Life Children's Books
Publication date:	10/24/2012
Series:	Web of Life , #7
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Madeleine Dunphy is an educational consultant who specializes in endangered environments. She has traveled all over the world and lived in such faraway places as Thailand to teach children about the importance of protecting the environment.
Madeleine has written several books for children, including all of the books in the Here Is... series. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, Chris, and their daughter, Gwendolyn. For more information about Madeleine and her books, visit her website at www.mdunphy.com.

Tom Leonard's beautiful paintings have graced the pages of several children's books, including Here Is the Coral Reef and Here Is the African Savanna. His stunning artwork has been praised by Booklist as having "great visual flair," and School Library Journal wrote that his colors "delight the eye." He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Rose, and teaches at the University of the Arts.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Named best children's picture book - Nautilus Book Award

“This is a great book. It details the food web of Antarctica in songlike prosereminiscent of “The House that Jack Built.” The paintings are beautiful, realistic,and full of detail. The final two pages identify the illustrated species and give more detailed information on Antarctica, including how icebergs are formed andthreats to the continent. My three-year old daughter and I both love this book. Iwill be on the lookout for other “Here Is...” books in this series.”
—Science Books & Films

“A rhythmic, cumulative text and detailed acrylic paintings emphasizing the pinks, blues and grays of the icy sea and sky introduce the relationships among animals in the Antarctic ecosystem. Each double-page spread adds another animal: two species of seals, orcas, krill, petrel, silverfish, skua and three species of penguins. Like other books in the Web of Life series, this concludes with a brief explanation of the area and the animals mentioned (allowing the careful reader to distinguish the different seals and penguins illustrated). [T]he familiar, House-that-Jack-Built pattern will appeal to young listeners, and the repetition isa boon for early readers. Teachers will welcome this appealing introduction....”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Realistic full color illustrations on luxurious spreads grace this ecological“story” of Antarctica’s wildlife. Written in an expanding verse narrative thatechoes the rhyme of “the house that Jack built,” the book’s text vividly captures the close relationships of orcas, penguins, and seals, as well as petra, skua,silverfish and krill. The progression provides readers a dramatic pictorialaccount of this delicate and important food chain.”
—Kid Lit Saves World

Editorial Reviews

A rhythmic, cumulative text and detailed acrylic paintings emphasizing the pinks, blues and grays of the icy sea and sky introduce the relationships among animals in the Antarctic ecosystem. Each double-page spread adds another animal: two species of seals, orcas, krill, petrel, silverfish, skua and three species of penguins. Like other books in the Web of Life series, this concludes with a brief explanation of the area and the animals mentioned (allowing the careful reader to distinguish the different seals and penguins illustrated). While the meter hiccups occasionally, the familiar, House-that-Jack-Built pattern will appeal to young listeners, and the repetition is a boon for early readers. Unfortunately, both the illustrations and the repeated " . . . icebergs / all jagged and spiked / that rise from the sea / in this cold world of ice" might leave the impression that the penguins have no land home at all; in fact, they breed on land or pack ice, and the presence of icebergs can actually hamper their reproduction. Teachers will welcome this appealing introduction but should supplement it with other information. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Named best children's picture book - Nautilus Book Award

“This is a great book. It details the food web of Antarctica in songlike prosereminiscent of “The House that Jack Built.” The paintings are beautiful, realistic,and full of detail. The final two pages identify the illustrated species and give more detailed information on Antarctica, including how icebergs are formed andthreats to the continent. My three-year old daughter and I both love this book. Iwill be on the lookout for other “Here Is...” books in this series.”
—Science Books & Films

“A rhythmic, cumulative text and detailed acrylic paintings emphasizing the pinks, blues and grays of the icy sea and sky introduce the relationships among animals in the Antarctic ecosystem. Each double-page spread adds another animal: two species of seals, orcas, krill, petrel, silverfish, skua and three species of penguins. Like other books in the Web of Life series, this concludes with a brief explanation of the area and the animals mentioned (allowing the careful reader to distinguish the different seals and penguins illustrated). [T]he familiar, House-that-Jack-Built pattern will appeal to young listeners, and the repetition isa boon for early readers. Teachers will welcome this appealing introduction....”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Realistic full color illustrations on luxurious spreads grace this ecological“story” of Antarctica’s wildlife. Written in an expanding verse narrative thatechoes the rhyme of “the house that Jack built,” the book’s text vividly captures the close relationships of orcas, penguins, and seals, as well as petra, skua,silverfish and krill. The progression provides readers a dramatic pictorialaccount of this delicate and important food chain.”
—Kid Lit Saves World

From the Publisher