RACE TO THE SOUTH POLE

With this account of two early-20th-century teams attempting to be the first to reach the South Pole, Stewart plays up the dramatic contrast between Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen’s arduous but successful expedition and the heroic but tragic saga of British Royal Navy officer Robert Falcon Scott, whose failure proved fatal to him and his team. Because the book presents the match-up via a back-to-back reverse layout, readers can begin with the British group or with the Norwegians; after following one story to the end, they can then flip the book over for the other group’s story. Stewart evenhandedly covers both inspiring expeditions, emphasizing science and the psychological state of the men on both crews. She praises Amundsen’s use of Inuit knowledge, applied to the South Pole, and notes the important fossils Scott collected. The author reports on the initial criticism and more recent reassessment of Scott’s achievement but omits his crew’s failure to carry out a potentially lifesaving order. Stewart also describes Amundsen’s later adventures, including his flight via airship over the North Pole, without mentioning the continuing controversy about whether any earlier explorer had actually reached that pole. Stewart’s narrative is vivid, fast-paced, and informative, while Wilkins’ artwork is clear, detailed, realistic, and engrossing, with labeled bird’s-eye and cross-section perspectives and maps that immerse readers in the surroundings.