CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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The Incredible Life of Balto
CCBC Review:
Meghan McCarthy offers a compelling expansion on the usual story of Balto, the sled dog leader of the team that completed the famed delivery of Diptherium serum to Nome in 1925. From an exhilarating description of the final leg of the serum run, McCarthy goes on to describe Balto’s celebrity status after the event (he even starred in a movie!), and then his decline from fame into life as a side-show attraction. Eventually money was raised in a public effort in Cleveland to purchase Balto and his teammates from the sideshow owner. The dogs were donated to the Brookside Zoo, where “Balto could relax and enjoy the rest of his life.” A lengthy section in the afterword titled “Detective Work” is a fascinating account of the author’s efforts to track down Balto’s history and accurate physical description, separating rumor and error from fact. McCarthy’s distinctive art style offers up an endearingly googly-eyed Balto, which seems fitting for a dog considered an unlikely choice for a hero. ©2011 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Meghan McCarthy
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
20th Century
Animals (Informational)
Biography
History (Nonfiction)
Illness and Disease
Rumor, Myth and Misinformation
On CCBC Booklist:
Between Fact and Fiction: Selected Picture Books to Encourage Critical Reading/Thinking
Publisher:
Alfred A. Knopf
Publish Year: 2011
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780375844607
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Balto
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Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.