Byrd & Igloo: A Polar Adventure

An amalgam of fact and fancy, this account of three expeditions undertaken by aviator and explorer Richard Byrd serves as both an enthralling adventure and a story of the bond between man and dog. Byrd adopted Igloo in 1926 as he set sail for Norway, wherefrom he attempted to become the first person to fly over the North Pole. Seiple (Ghosts in the Fog) chronicles that mission and Byrd’s hero’s welcome back to the U.S., but ignores the famous controversy over whether Byrd actually reached the North Pole. The author periodically imbues Igloo with human observations and emotions; after his owner’s plane crashes into a snowdrift on takeoff, “Igloo felt utter relief when he saw Byrd climb out of the plane.” Seiple also details his harrowing 1927 trans-Atlantic flight and groundbreaking 1928 expedition to Antarctica. Period photographs appear throughout. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)