Earth Month Book - Waiting for Ice

Waiting for Ice

By Sandra Markle; illustrated by Alan Marks

32 pages, for ages 5 – 9

Charlesbridge 2012

What if you went for a swim and when you came out of the water you couldn’t find your mother? That’s what happens to the young polar bear in Waiting for Ice, a true story about an orphaned cub who, despite the odds, survived on her own.

The young cub is trapped on Wrangle Island, with hundreds of other polar bears, waiting for the Arctic ice to come back. But the weather has been warmer than usual, and the ice is nowhere to be seen. The bears, who would normally be hunting from the ice floes, are running out of food and without a mother to hunt for her, the cub needs to learn how to get her own food.

Most orphaned cubs die of starvation, but this is one scrappy cub. She fights over fish, steals a mouthful of food when she can, and isn’t too proud to beg. She stubbornly fights to live, earning the name “Tuff” bestowed upon her by the scientists studying the island bears.

The book ends when the ice comes in, but the story continues. In an author’s note Sandra Markle explains that Tuff survives, returning to the island the following spring. She also writes about the impact of global warming on polar bears.

“I’ve always been fascinated by polar bears,” says Markle. (This is her fourth book on bears.) She ran across Dr. Nikita Ovsyanikov, the Wrangle Island polar bear scientist, while researching another book. “He told me about “Tuff” and her story stuck in my mind…and I was looking for a way to connect global warming and polar bear behavior.”

Like her other books, Waiting for Ice is grounded in research. Markle interviewed scientists, watched polar bears and read lots of studies. Accuracy is important, she says. At the same time it’s important for the story to be exciting for kids.

“We (writers) have to give kids a way to stand on the shoulders of the scientists so they can see farther,” says Markle. Having taught science, she knows that sharing information is only half the job of a writer. Or teacher. The other half is to help children understand that there is more to learn, and they can be the scientists of the future.

Markle tries to visit the places she writes about – she’s been to Antarctica three times, she says. But not Wrangle Island. So she learned some surprising things in talking with Dr. Ovsyanikov. “I didn’t know how the polar bears behaved when they were trapped,” says Markle. “Not being able to hunt from ice floes changes their behavior, as does the competition for food.”

You can read more about how Sandra Markle came to write Waiting for Ice here. And you can watch a video about the polar bears of Wrangle Island here.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Today’s post is part of STEM Friday –  a weekly round-up of children’s science, engineering, math and technology resources – and Nonfiction Monday. 

One Thing Wednesday - Plant a Tree

This Friday is Arbor Day, a day when schools, communities and homeowners plant trees to help make the world a better place. Trees help slow climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air. A single tree can absorb a ton (2000  pounds) of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

Trees help cool the planet in other ways, too. Neighborhoods with trees that shade streets and sidewalks can be 6 to 10 degrees cooler than neighborhoods without trees. That means people don’t need to use energy to run air conditioners. And shaded parking lots keep automobiles cooler, reducing emissions from fuel tanks and engines. Trees also block cold winter winds, attract birds and wildlife, purify our air, prevent soil erosion, clean our water, and add beauty to our homes and communities.

Earth Month Book - A Warmer World

A Warmer World: From Polar Bears to Butterflies, How Climate Change Affects Wildlife

By Caroline Arnold; illustrated by Jamie Hogan

52 pages, for ages 7 -10

Charlesbridge, 2012

“In 1964 a biologist working in the cloud forests of Costa Rica found a tiny toad whose bright yellow skin shone like a jewel,” writes Caroline Arnold. Twenty-five years later the golden toads had disappeared. The warming climate had caused the cloud forests to move higher up the mountains, leaving the golden toads behind.

Shorter winters, earlier springs, hotter summers - can a small change in temperature really cause all this? A one-degree increase over 100 years may not seem like much, says Arnold, “but a little change can make a big difference.” Arnold highlights how some animals have adapted to climate change. Red foxes are expanding their range north, into new territory. But that means they are hunting the same prey as the Arctic foxes already living there.

Arnold started thinking about this book a few years ago when she was writing about pterosaurs. “I found an article describing the discovery in Antarctica of both dinosaur and pterosaur fossils,” she said. “It turns out that the world was so warm in the Dinosaur Age that there was no permanent ice at the poles!”

But, she emphasizes, “there’s a big difference between global warming then and the current trend. Now the Earth is warming at a faster rate than ever before, making it hard for animals to adapt.” Arnold has written about many of those animals in other books, and had learned how environmental changes are threatening their survival. This book, she says, gave her the chance to focus on the environmental issues.  

Arnold starts her book projects in the library, reading books and articles. She scours the internet for information and talks with scientists and other experts. “Whenever possible, I try to make my own observations about the animals,” she says.  One year she visited a penguin nesting colony in southern Chile, but more often she visits zoos and wildlife parks. She observed some of the animals in this book at Sea World and the San Diego Zoo.

“The neat thing about zoos is that you can see huge animals like these just inches away on the other side of the glass,” says Arnold. “I discovered that walruses are huge lumps.  They are a bit like your living room sofa with tusks.  And yet, they are surprisingly agile in the water.”

Every author – even those who have written scads of books – learns something new when they write. Arnold learned about “trophic mismatch”. That’s the scientific term for a mismatch between the light cycle and the breeding cycle of an animal, she explains. “For example, warmer temperatures are causing some birds to nest earlier. But their food supply depends on longer days, and isn’t ready when their hungry chicks hatch.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Today’s post is part of STEM Friday – a weekly round-up of children’s science, engineering, math and technology resources – and Nonfiction Monday.

One Thing Wednesday - Recycle Stuff

Recycle paper, plastic and glass, and buy products with less packaging. This can save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year. “Take a second look at everything you think is trash, says author Sandra Markle. “Instead of sending it off to a landfill, maybe your trash can become art, a toy, or something to help your local wildlife.” She’s got some neat ideas for recycling stuff into new uses here at her blog. I’ve invited Sandra back at the end of the month to talk about her new book.

One Thing Wednesday - Use Your Legs

Author Laurie Lawlor, who shared her book Rachel Carson last Friday suggests that we can all walk and ride our bikes more often. “Don’t ride as a passenger in a car if you can travel another way,” she says. Laurie rides the train Columbia College, where she teaches. She enjoys walking across “the Loop”. “It’s different from walking in the country, but still very full of discoveries about nature and people.” She keeps her eyes out for blooming flowers, soaring gulls, and the “plodding of persistent pigeons”.

One Thing Wednesday - Change the Lightbulbs

One Thing Wednesday features one thing you can do to make the earth a better place. Today's idea: change a light bulb.

Which lights in your home do you use the most? Replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs. That's what author Caroline Arnold, who wrote A Warmer World, did in her home. If every American home replaced just one conventional light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes a year. Replace three bulbs with compact fluorescents and you can save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide – and $60 per year.

"And people should turn off the lights when they leave the room," Arnold reminds us. She'll be visiting for an author interview later this month.