About the Author:
Kathy Conlan is a marine biologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
From School Library Journal:
Grade 4-8-In this photo-essay, Conlan details her three-month stay in Antarctica, highlighting some of her experiences and her involvement in ongoing experiments relating to the effects of human waste on marine life. Youngsters will enjoy the scientist's accounts of harrowing underwater experiences and diving in the polar regions-suiting up, the dive hut, safety precautions, and dangers-and descriptions of how it feels to be under six feet of ice. Information on the animals that Conlan observed, an introduction to U.S. McMurdo Station (base camp), and a brief history of the first two expeditions to Antarctica in the 1900s allow readers a glimpse of a continent that most people will never have the opportunity to visit. Descriptions of the marine biologist's encounters with playful Weddell seals and Ad‚lie and Emperor penguins and trips to neon-blue caves full of giant ice crystals, underwater sponge gardens, and glacier caverns add interest, as well. The color photos are clear and appealing. Curiously, most of the book is written in past tense, but the last few pages are written in journal form. Jennifer Owings Dewey's Antarctic Journal (HarperCollins, 2001) and Meredith Hooper's Antarctic Journal (National Geographic, 2001) both concentrate on Antarctic wildlife. Sara Wheeler's Greetings from Antarctica (Peter Bedrick, 1999) includes brief information on life at the pole, penguins and small seals, ice, cooking, and the history of the South Pole and Antarctica, accompanied by lots of diagrams and photos.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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