My Antarctica
True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Follow Coretta Scott King Honor–winning author G. Neri to the end of the world in a captivating travel memoir that explores Antarctica through the curiosity and wonder of his inner child—the kid who dreamed of one day becoming an explorer. Antarctica is a land of extremes—the coldest, windiest, highest, and driest place on the planet. It’s a world where the sun stays hidden half of the year and where visitors must undergo a week of special training before it’s safe to go outside (watch out for lava bombs!). It’s also a place of stark beauty, history, and endless scientific research. Join beloved author G. Neri on his long-dreamed-of voyage to the ice, where he taps into his inner child and encounters sea angels, mummified seals, space robots, inquisitive penguins, and so much more. Abundant full-color photographs (many by the author) and annotated comics and illustrations from Corban Wilkin depict an unforgettable stay in a land of baffling mysteries to uncover, epic questions to ponder, and bigger-than-life stories to tell. Robust back matter includes more facts and history, recommended source material, and answers to questions about everything from logistics (how do you sleep?) to cool science (why is Blood Falls red?). This eye-opening, information-packed memoir—shaped by the author’s visits with school groups upon his return—sparkles with his heartfelt journey of discovery.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With down-to-earth prose, Neri narrates an eye-opening trip to Antarctica in this scrapbook-like travelog. Opening remarks relate the author's longtime dreams of exploration and unlikely path to visiting Antarctica through the National Science Foundation—as a children's book creator writing about the experience for young audiences. Throughout, an easy, candid tone keeps the focus on self-aware observations, touching occasionally on the complex science occurring around him as well as safety training and tense moments encountered ("that time we were trapped in a helicopter over the frozen sea"). Comics-style panels, maps, and diagrams help communicate environmental extremes, while numerous lists offer a kid's-eye view of the place, including vehicles, uniforms (depicted with paper-doll tabs), toilets, "icebergs shaped like things" (a big head, a couch), and "weird things I saw" (a rock concert). Wilkin's wash- and pencil-style digital sketches of Neri and others ("mostly white, but I see a few folks of color like me") mingle among dozens of photos for an on-the-go effect that keeps pages turning in this modern account of an extraordinarily extreme landscape. Extensive back matter concludes. Ages 7–10.
