Pithy questions and differing points of view make this book a source of material for serious thought and lively debate about the world’s Far North. Ann Love and Jane Drake, sisters who have co-authored a number of activity books for children including The Kids Cottage Book and The Kids Campfire Book, have less scope for hands-on activity in this new collaboration. However, their research and organizational skills are fully apparent in the book’s five short chapters about the Arctic, its plants and animals, people, resources, and what it’s like to live there today. Frequent subheadings and occasional information boxes work well to provide relief to a text presented largely in running paragraphs. Three maps, an oddly overlapping timeline, and a one-page index provide additional content.

As its attractive, multi-imaged cover suggests, The Kids Book of the Far North also provides a strong visual introduction to the Arctic. Illustrator Jocelyne Bouchard’s work is on every page. Her depictions of the sometimes-subtle, sometimes-bold colour variations that distinguish Arctic day, dusk, night, and seasons are her greatest strength.

The Far North might not be a hot topic with eight- to 12-year-olds. But with its mix of geography, history, science, and mythology, this book is a good candidate for school and public library purchase. With face-out display and handselling, it should find its niche.