Black Whiteness: Admiral Byrd Alone in the Antarctic - Softcover

Burleigh, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1442453346 ISBN 13: 9781442453340

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011

Synopsis

In 1934, Admiral Richard Byrd spent an entire winter by himself in a small cabin in Antarctica, recording the weather and confronting life, completely alone, in harsh conditions. Robert Burleigh “paints mesmerizing word pictures” (Booklist) that are supplemented with excerpts from Admiral Byrd’s firsthand account of how he survived. This riveting account was named an Orbis Pictus Honor Book and includes dramatic, full-color illustrations capture the courage of Byrd’s amazing ordeal.

About this title

From the Author

Robert Burleigh is the award-winning author of many books for children, including The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn, illustrated by Barry Blitt; Night Flight, illustrated by Wendell Minor; Black Whiteness, illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop; and Sylvia’s Bookshop, illustrated by Katy Wu. His many other books include Hoops; Stealing Home; and Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep! He lives in Michigan.

Walter Lyon Krudop was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1966. He had his first painting lesson when he was eight years old and later studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He has illustrated a number of books for young readers, including The Good-Night Kiss and Wake Up, Little Children by Jim Aylesworth; Black Whiteness by Robert Burleigh; and Crossing the Delaware by Louise Peacock. He lives with his wife, Sara, in New York City.

From Booklist

Gr. 4 and up. The author of several previous picture-book biographies, among them, Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh (1991), offers a stunning profile of determination, stubbornness, and courage that is also a slice of real history. In restrained, lyrical prose ("Night is coming on, / Pressing down with its blue-black shadow"), Burleigh surely and sharply pits a man against the elements as he recounts the solitary vigil of Admiral Richard Byrd, who lived for months alone in a small underground structure, sending back information on Antarctica's weather and testing the boundaries of human endurance. Selections from Byrd's diary, which appear in cursive, add immediacy and depth to the account, which eventually turns into a riveting survival story after Byrd falls gravely ill with little hope of rescue. The evocative, perfectly modulated text will be wonderful for reading aloud--even high-schoolers will be enthralled--and the oxymoron in the title is a great introduction to the way Burleigh paints mesmerizing word pictures on the page. Krudop's spare but saturated oil paintings perfectly catch the two extremes of Byrd's lonely existence--the shimmery blue of the antarctic climate Byrd both relished and feared; the golden glow of the poorly heated shelter that kept both his body and his spirit alive. Sketches in ice blue ink are less dramatic than the oils but serve to add visual interest to the text pages. What is it like to be alone and near death? Burleigh brings the feelings uncomfortably close to home. Readers will be fascinated by the words and want to know more about this unusual man. Stephanie Zvirin

Edition details

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1442453346
• ISBN 13: 9781442453340
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Krudop Walter Lyon