This page contains the books and materials (plus reviews) used in our American history curriculum topic 7. In this topic of our history curriculum you will learn about the Inuit, caribou and more.

Books and Materials for Topic 7

Icon Key and Explanations

Little Caribou (by Sarah Fox-Davies)
This is a very easy read with attractive, gentle watercolor pictures. I chose it so that my son could get a better feel for what caribou are all about. It's a "picture" book, but it does the job just fine.

Topic 7

Tikta'liktak: An Inuit-Eskimo Legend (by James A. Houston) This is a story about a young man who has to survive in the Arctic alone after being carried out to sea on a drifting ice floe. It pictures the Arctic as harsh but beautiful and introduces children to the landscape, animals and ways of life of an Eskimo. I thought it would be "boring" at first glance but found both myself and my son enjoying this tale of bravery, self reliance and survival.

We have a study guide / book notes that go with this book.

Topic 7

Tooga The Story of a Polar Bear (by Shirley Woods) Shirley Woods, a naturalist, has written a well researched story about a polar bear cub who becomes trapped on an ice floe and eventually ends up wandering into a human settlement. Lots of information about the ecology of the north is interwoven throughout the story.

Topic 7

Polar Bear Arctic Odyssey

This is a documentary of a Norwegian adventurer in search of the elusive polar bear. It features close-up encounters with polar bears and other Arctic wildlife. "Included... is amazing footage of the first time a wild polar bear has ever been hand-fed by man".
We thought the footage of the polar bears was great fun. There is some behavior on the part of the "adventurers" (feeding bears, etc.) that would probably appall most naturalists but didn't bother us.

Topic 7

Polar Bear Math - Learning About Fractions From Klondike and Snow (by Ann Whitehead Nagda & Cindy Bickel)
This is a wonderful book not only about fractions, but also about two polar bear cubs that were raised at the Denver zoo. The photographs are adorable and the fraction concepts are introduced in clear, easy to understand illustrations and diagrams. Fractions are tied directly into information about the cubs such as mixing up polar bear milk, finding out how many times a month a keeper took the cubs home, the bears' weight, etc. My son really enjoyed this title.

If you use this book you may want to download our fraction strips for a hands-on manipulative.

The following books are good books to check out from the library for your book basket. If you check any of them out, let your child choose the ones that interest him. Most of the following books are very light reading, but worth taking a look at to get a better feel knowledge-wise for the Arctic. I wouldn't purchase any of them unless one becomes a favorite after checking it out from the library.

We got kind of carried away with this portion of the study and really enjoyed ourselves!

All Aboard Science Reader - Amazing Arctic Animals (by Jackie Glassman)
This book doesn't have especially beautiful illustrations nor is it a "great" read, but it DOES cover quite a few arctic animals in simple to understand text.

Pipaluk and the Whales (by John Himmelman)
Based roughly on a true story this easy to read "picture" book tells about some Beluga whales trapped in a closing ice hole. If they aren't freed they will drown. Pipaluk has an idea and she knows it's the whales last chance. There is an author's note at the end about the "real details" of the true story as well as a map showing where the incident took place. We enjoyed the colorful pictures and the warm hearted story.

Polar Bear Patrol (Magic School Bus Chapter Book by Judith Stamper)
This is no award winner, but reluctant readers may enjoy reading a Magic School Bus book and learning about polar bears and other arctic animals.

Snow Bear (by Jean Craighead George)
The story isn't much to speak of, but the paintings are beautiful. This is a picture book and a very quick read. If there is a younger sibling your child may enjoy reading it to him / her.

The Inuit Ivory Carvers of the Far North (by Rachel Koestler-Grack) This book has beautiful photographs and paintings to help explain Inuit life. It's a very easy read with a recipe idea, soap carving instructions and a simple game to construct. It's worth seeing if your library has it.

The Practically Perfect Pajamas (by Erik Brooks)
Percy the polar bear loves his pajamas but starts to question wearing them when he isn't accepted by his fellow bears. He decides to try and be like them and gives up his pajamas "forever" to gain acceptance. Not only is he not truly accepted but he finds himself miserable to boot. In the end Percey figures out that it doesn't matter what his peers think, he just needs to be himself. He finds a friend who agrees and it's a happy ending when the other bears decide to give pajamas a try too. It's a bit silly with an agenda but my son loved it. It's a "picture" book so it's an easy and quick read. This is another one the "youngers" may like too.

What do we know about the Inuit? (Bryan and Cherry Alexander)
This is one of those books that combines illustrations and photographs together and does a pretty good job of getting across how the Inuit lived in the past and how they live today. We found out some interesting information like how their language is written in syllabics (a set of shapes representing sounds) via an illustrated chart. We liked the picture of inside an igloo too. It's probably not a book you'd ever read again though.

Why Don't Polar Bears Have Stripes (by Katherine Smith)
Very nicely photographed this very simple book lets you get "up close" to polar bears and learn a few facts along the way. This would be a good book for an easy report.

Plus previously mentioned on the page for Topic 1 books and materials:

History Pockets, Grades 1-3, Native Americans

North American Indians

Draw Write Now Book 3

The Indian Book

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