Author: Meghan McCarthy
Illustrator: Meghan McCarthy
© Date: 2011
Publisher: Alfred A Knopf
Pages: 40
Chapters: No
Illustrations: Yes, every page
Publisher Recommended Age: 5-8 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: Yes, the author’s note has some suggested activities to understand the differences in news reporting
Summary from Book: Most people know the story of Balto, the world-famous dog who led his sled team through a blizzard to deliver a lifesaving serum to the stricken people of Nome, Alaska, in 1925. Balto shot to instant stardom—a company named dog food after him, a famous sculptor erected a statue of him that stands in New York’s Central Park to this day, and the dog even starred in his own Hollywood movie. But what happened to Balto after the hoopla died down?
With a lively, informative text and humorous, vibrant illustrations, Meghan McCarthy captures the extraordinary life of Balto beyond his days as a celebrity.
Note: This review is done from memory. I originally read this awhile ago.
Page Pig Thoughts: When I started reading this, I thought that I was going to be reading the standard story of Balto and the serum run. No, I had not read the book summary, I was just reading another Meghan McCarthy book because they are amazing. So I was pleasantly surprised that the unique twist for this story was the question of what happens to someone extremely popular for a short duration of time.
The story was well done and I appreciated learning about Balto in a new way. I particularly enjoyed the author’s note that discusses the complexities of getting the information for the book accurate. Even getting the color for Balto’s fur was tricky. After the interesting discussion of the research that was put into the book, I appreciated the suggested activities for how to find accurate information for your research. Another suggested activity was a variation on the telephone game using some participants as news reporters for a play that gets acted out by the other participants.
This one is definitely a worthy read. Page Pup also enjoyed it.
Use caution with younger or sensitive readers, some of the information may be unsettling (see Items of Interest below).
Items of Interest:
- Some dogs dying from their lungs bursting in the cold on the serum run is mentioned.
- Balto and his dogsled team were sold to a touring Vaudeville act.
- Balto and the team were sold again to a man running a sideshow where all of the dogs were forgotten, but people could see the once popular team for a dime.
- A businessman saw the dogs and wanted to buy them back, but the current owner wanted a lot of money for them. Word got out and thousands of people donated money to rescue the dogs. Balto and the team were then donated to a zoo so everyone that donated could visit the team while the dogs could enjoy the rest of their lives.
- The author’s note at the end mentions that after Balto died, his body was stuffed and displayed at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):
- This is not a series, but I suggest trying another Meghan McCarthy book. She has a knack for fun to read nonfiction books that have a unique idea.