Perfect Picture Book Fridays – Over in the Arctic

This week for Perfect Picture Book Fridays I chose the book Over in the Arctic: Where the Cold Wind Blows by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin.

Title:  Over in the Arctic- Where The Cold Wind Blows

Author:  Marianne Berkes

Illustrated:  Jill Dubin

Publisher: Dawn Publications 2008

Ages: 3 and up

Themes:  Nature, Animals, Counting

Publishers summary:  A counting book in rhyme presents various Arctic animals and their offspring, from a mother polar bear and her “little cub one” to an old father wolf and his “little pups ten”. Includes related facts and activities.

Opening/Synopsis:

Over in the Arctic

Where the cold waters run,

Lived a mother polar bear

And her little cub one.

“Roll,” said the mother.

“I roll,” said the one.

So they rolled on the ice

Where the cold waters run.

Awards:

Winner of the 2009 Mom’s Choice Gold Award
2009 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist
Winner of the 2008 IParenting Media Greatest Product Award

Activities:

There are quite a few ideas and activities in the back of the book! It was really neat to see a publisher take the time and space to add activities from both the author and illustrator. There also is a sheet of music to use along with the book.

The Alaska Sea Life Center offers a .pdf curriculum download of the life cycle of Salmon

This book would be great for an art or music lesson.

What I liked about this book:  I loved the familiar rhyme of this book (“Over in the meadow”). I enjoyed how the author used the terms for each of the young animals. This would be helpful when teaching children about animal family groups and basic counting. The artwork was created in collage format that was fun and interesting. Each page will captivate a child when reading aloud. I love picture books that are both entertaining and educational. They make a great resource for engaging a child in learning.

Here is a video of “Cookie” the little penguin at the Cincinnati Zoo. Isn’t Cookie adorable?

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.