"Poles Apart"
Why Penguins and Polar Bears Will Never Be Neighbors
by Elaine Scott

Discover the magical points on the opposite ends of the earth where the sun rises only once a year.

Santa Claus frolicking with penguins and polar bears—do you know what's wrong with this picture? Actually, no polar bear has ever lived at the South Pole, nor any penguin at the North Pole (and it’s debatable whether or not Santa lives there, either).

Using a wide range of disciplines from physics to geography to biology, award-winning science writer Elaine Scott explores some of the unique properties shared by the two ends of the Earth's axis, and other ways in which they are poles apart. Find out what makes a compass point north and why it won't work at the poles. Discover how a tropical island wound up as the coldest spot on earth and why only penguins survive there today. And learn the fascinating story of human involvement with the poles, from the early explorers to the impact of global warming.

With dramatic color photographs and clear, simple text, Poles Apart offers the perfect introduction to the secrets of the poles.

64 pages, 8.75 x 10.25 full color photographs. Hardcover. Ages 8-12.

Viking Children's Books.
ISBN 0-670-05925-0

$17.95