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Incredible Life Of Balto (2011)

by Meghan Mccarthy(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1299119948 (ISBN13: 9781299119949)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

review 1: Back in 1925 a sled dog team, led on its final legs by Balto, a heretofore untried Siberian husky, carried diphtheria serum from Nenana to Nome, Alaska. Because the medicine saved many lives, the dog team's 600 mile trip earned them and their musher fame. Balto even had a statue erected in his honor and a movie. But there is more to this courageous dog's story. After the fame died down, Balto was sold, and he ended up largely forgotten in a sideshow. That is until George Kimble, a Cleveland businessman, spearheaded efforts to raise $2,000 for him. With the help of school children who donated their pennies, Balto was saved and found a new home in the zoo. The story is inspiring, and the acrylic illustrations feature large-eyed humans and dogs. Both remind readers of the fic... morekle nature of fame and of the large hearts of some humans. This book would be a perfect pairing with Lita Judge's Pennies for Elephants. The afterword describes how much detective work the author/illustrator had to do in order to tell this heart-tugging story.
review 2: Well written, but I didn't think that the artwork style worked with this story. It is a "what happened next" book about Balto, the famous sled dog who was celebrated for helping to deliver serum to Nome, Alaska in the 1920s. Of the many dogs and men who made that run possible, Balto was the visible face, with a statue and a silent movie celebrating his heroic efforts in helping stop a diptheria epidemic.After his celebrity waned, he and the other dogs were sold off for stage and sideshow work, until rescued by a popular campaign. It's nice to learn that part of the story, and the notes in the back of the book will teach kids valuable lessons about researching non-fiction for reports and other writing.I still didn't like the artwork, though. It felt much too cartoony for the subject matter. I found it distracting to be reading about a life-threatening illness, or dogs dying from the cold, illustrated by cutesy cartoons. less

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