Antarctic Adventures by Bartha Hill
Antarctic Adventures by Bartha Hill is a wonderful children’s
book designed to explore the geography, history, and culture of Antarctic. Most of the book looks at the various voyages
to the Anarctic, the trials men faced in getting there, and the extreme
conditions they were met with when they arrived. The determination and long suffering that men
like Ernest Shackleton faced when traveling to this region was a vivid reminder
of the perils they faced. The book is
divided into 16 chapters with each chapter weighing in at about between 3-7
pages. This book is great for readers
wanting an action packed book that they get work through easily.
The early chapters tell of the voyages of Captain Robert
Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton setting out for the South Pole. Hill notes that, “They were the first to see
a penguin rookery (nest), set up a base in McMurdo Sound, and travelled farther
south than any explore had done so far” (13).
Scott knew that other countries were setting up voyages for the South
Pole but he failed to realize that a Norweigan explore named Roald Amundsen set
off for the South Pole as well. Amundsen
reached the South Pole first with his team while Scott’s team was stricken with
illness and bitter weather conditions (16-17).
The plight of Scott’s team was remarkable sight of determination and
focus, even in the worst of circumstances.
One of my favorite chapters was The Story of Mrs. Chippy. Shackleton came up with an idea to pilot two
ships, one for to set up a base at Weddell Sea and the other to set up for his
journey across the continent of Antarctica by dogsled. The ship’s carpenter, Henry McNeish decided
to bring his cat and hide her in one of his toolboxes. Hill writes, “Actually when he heard about
it, Shackleton was quite pleased to have a cat on board to keep mice and rats
under control. The cat became known as
Mrs Chippy (carpenters were often called
‘chippies’) …All the sailors loved him, but no one more than the carpenter who
had brought him on board” (40-41). You
can imagine how difficult and monotonous the job of a carpenter or seamen on a
boat like this would be. Mrs Chippy
served as a kind of good friend to many on the boat. Word had got out that Shackleton and his team
had all died but when they reached the Norweigan whaling station, the captain
was overjoyed.
Finding out about penguins and their nesting habits was also
quite illuminating. The male sits on the
egg for 3-4 months until the baby cracks out of its shell. The mother and father take turns bringing
food for the family. Overall, I think
this is a great introduction for kids about some of the voyages, animal life,
and conditions of both the South Pole and Antarctica.
Thanks to CFK4 and Cross Focused Reviews for the copy of
this book in exchange for review.
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