SOUTH POLE

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Books

For Teachers

Antarctica: The Blue Continent by David McGonigal and Dr. Lynn Woodworth. (Firefly Books Ltd, 2003)
This beautifully illustrated guide to Antarctica tells the tales of the explorers who tried to conquer this frozen land.

Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard by Sara Wheeler, (Random House, 2002)
Using excerpts from Cherry-Garrard's book The Worst Journey in the World as well as accounts from the other men on the voyage, Wheeler is able to paint a complete picture of Cherry-Garrard's adventures in the South Pole.

Penguins: From Emperors to Macaronis by Erin Pembrey Swan. (Franklin Watts, 2003)
This book offers an in-depth look at 14 species of penguin, including the emperor penguins.

Tom Crean: Unsung Hero of the Scott and Shackleton Antarctic Expeditions by Michael Smith. (Mountaineers Books, 2002)
Tom Crean accompanied explorers Scott and Shackleton on journeys to Antarctica, but received little or no recognition for it.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose. (Simon & Schuster, 1997)
A biography of Lewis based on the journals of both Lewis and Clark.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (Stackpole Books, 2001)
As the only surviving member of Scott's attempt to be the first explorer to the South Pole, Cherry-Garrard gives a detailed account of the extraordinary "side trip" he and his colleagues took to recover emperor penguin eggs.

For Students

Fiction

The Antarctic Scoop by Lucy Jane Bledsoe. (Holiday House, 2003)
Victoria is miserable — her parents are divorced and she gets teased for being a science geek. When she gets a chance to go to Antarctica, she doesn't realize that it is the chance of a lifetime.

Gus and Gertie and the Lucky Charms by Joan Lowery Nixon. (SeaStar Books, 2001)
Two hopeful penguins, Gus and Gertie, arrive at the Olympics only to find that there is no synchronized swim event in the winter games!

The Little Penguin by A. J. Wood. (Dutton, 2001)
As a baby penguin heads for the sea, he gets separated from his family and worries that he may never get all the way to the ocean.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. (Little Brown, 1938)
In this modern classic, Mr. Popper is a house painter who dreams of traveling the world but end up with 12 penguins. How will Mr. Popper feed them all?

Penguin Puzzle by Judith Bauer Stamper. (Scholastic, 2001)
The Magic School Bus series. Ms. Frizzle and the gang travel to Antarctica.

Something to Tell the Grandcows by Eileen Spinelli. (Eerdmans, 2004)
Emmadine the cow travels to the South Pole with Admiral Byrd and she returns with great stories to tell. For younger readers.

The Stone Idol by Franklin W. Dixon. (Simon & Schuster, 1981)
The Hardy Boys series. Amateur detectives Joe and Frank Hardy are tracking a stolen sculpture whenthey receive an emergency call from their father. He is investigating a spy ring in Antarctica and needs the boys' help.

Nonfiction

After the Last Dog Died, the True-Life, Hair-Raising Adventure of Douglas Mawson and His 1911-1914 Antarctic Expedition by Carmen Bredeson. (National Geographic, 2003)
In 1911, an Australian geology teacher turned polar explorer led a scientific expedition to map the interior of Antarctica.

Antarctic Journal, Four Months at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Owings Dewey. (HarperCollins, 2001)
Diary entries, letters home, sketches and color photographs record Dewey's time at the science labs at Palmer Station on Anvers Island on Antarctica.

Antarctica by Kelly McDonald. (Heinemann, 1997)
Great Journeys series. Explores the history and geography of Antarctica, details several of the South Pole expeditions, with information about the emperor penguins and other animals that live in the region.

Arctic & Antarctic by Barbara Taylor. (Knopf, 1995)
Eyewitness Books series. Information on the sea life, animals, and plants that live in two of the most extreme climates on earth, as well as the humans who live in and explore the North and South Poles.

Greetings from Antarctica by Sara Wheeler. (Peter Bedrick Books, 1999)
Letters to her godson and her own photographs tell about Sara Wheeler's experiences living in Antarctica.

How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark by Rosalyn Schanzer. (National Geographic, 1997)
Illustrations and maps enhance excerpts from the journals of Lewis and Clark.

Icy Antarctic Waters by Wendy Pfeffer. (Marshall Cavendish, 2003)
Close-up photographs describe the animals and sea creatures that live in and near the freezing sea around Antarctica. For younger readers.

Polar Explorers by Stephen Currie. (Lucent Books, 2002)
Short biographies and accounts of the travels of five explorers of the "golden" or "heroic age" of polar exploration.

Poles Apart by Elaine Scott. (Viking, 2004)
Penguins and polar bears will never meet, but their habitats have fascinated people for years. This book explores the evolution, history and scientific importance of the two regions.

The Race to the South Pole by Rupert Mathews. (Bookwright Press, 1989)
Details the many attempts of explorers (including Amundsen, Scott, and Shackleton) to be the first to reach the South Pole.

Roald Amundsen by Enid Broderick. (World Almanac Library, 2002)
Norwegian Roald Amundsen found himself locked in a race with Robert Scott to be the first person to reach the South Pole.

Robert Scott, British Explorer of the South Pole by John Riddle and Robert Ingpen. (Mason Crest, 2003)
Scott was determined to reach the South Pole before Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, but a series of poor decisions, miscalculations, and bad weather turned the expedition into a tragedy.

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong. (Crown, 1998)
When Ernest Shackleton's expedition ends in 1916, Shackleton and his crew, despite incredible odds, have survived their ordeal in Antarctica.

Poetry

Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems by Judy Sierra. (Harcourt, 1998)
A collection of ten light and humorous poems and three riddles, based on the lives and habits of emperor penguins.

Web Sites

Antarctic Explorers
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/antarctica.shtml
Brief, kid-friendly information about many Arctic and Antarctic explorers.

Antarctica Pictures, Information, and Travel
http://www.coolantarctica.com/
Provides photographs and facts about Antarctica, including animals, climate, and explorers of the region.

Arctic and Antarctic History on the Net
http://www.south-pole.com/
Detailed biographies of South Pole explorers, including Robert F. Scott and Roald Amundsen, plus excerpts from letters sent by the explorers.

Emperor Penguin Printout
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/printouts/Emperorpenguin.shtml
Provides labeled drawing of and detailed information about emperor penguins.

Emperor Penguins
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0101/penguins2.html
Explore links to cool penguin information, fun facts, a video and articles from National Geographic Kids.

New South Polar Times
http://205.174.118.254/nspt/
This newsletter, written by the staff of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station provides students and teachers with information on Antarctica, the scientific research taking place there, and fun facts about life at the station.

Some Antarctic Quotes
http://www.antarctic-circle.org/quotes.htm
Contains quotes from polar explorers, including Apsley Cherry-Garrard, leader of the "Winter Journey" to Cape Crozier.