Under The Microscope

LIFE IN THE FREEZER, by Alastair Fothergill; BBC Children's Books, 1994; 72 pps; $19.95

Antarctica holds a special fascination for New Zealanders, and children are no exception. Following on from another successful BBC wildlife series comes this book about the great white continent and, in particular, the animals that live there. Especially aimed at younger people, the book has a simple easy-to-read style with numerous excellent colour photographs.

It takes a story type approach and describes how living things survive in the harsh wilderness that is Antarctica. Hopefully children will gain some appreciation of what it is like for organisms to have to make a living in Antarctica, the interdependence they have, and what a unique and special place it is. A description of the physical environment and why it is like it is comes early on. An interesting approach has been to divide the book up so that changes that come with each season are clearly dealt with.

The book provides general interest reading for those who would like to know more about Antarctica, but could also be used in a library or classroom where students could browse it at their leisure.

Greg Walker, NZSM