Activity: Have students create a story with illustrations on what they would need to survive the long cold winters of the arctic. ( )

As temperatures drop and the snow deepens, the animals that make the tundra home must ready themselves for survival. Follow the arctic ground squirrel as it begins the cycle of sleeping, supercooling, and warming that will occur at least a dozen times before spring arrives. See how the wood frog partially freezes itself in hibernation beneath layers of snow, or how the woolly bear caterpillars makes it through the winter months with a special antifreeze substance that prevents ice from forming in their bodies. Then when the temperatures finally rise and the snow begins to melt, these creatures emerge and the pulse of life returns to the arctic.

The book tells the life of many animals that live around the Koyukuk River. The winter is harsh around the Koyukuk River, and it is amazing how animals survive. The story was very informative and fun to read. I did not know that fish find holes in the ice and breath. Musk oxen cooperate to keep safe, and dears have a special liquid to protect their legs. Many animals have defense mechanisms that I was not aware of. Bugs have an antifreeze liquid, and a fox has two layers of winter coats. Frogs heart stop beating, and they stay underneath snow until summer. When summer arrives frog’s hearth start beating, and days become longer. For an activity I would make drawings of the animals, and explain vocabulary terms according to the drawings. For the word hibernation I would show students the drawings of a squirrel, and explain that squirrels hibernate. ( )

This book is helpful because it gives students a different point of view of the world. It makes them imagine what it would feel like to be an animal living in freezing temperatures. This book answers questions such as, "How do these animals survive?" It includes beautiful realistic paintings. ( )