Encourage your child in an 'Iditarod Reading Race' and have them read 1,049
pages by the end of the race! Or have them create their own book on the Iditarod like this
Reading Rainbow Contest
Winner did!
Check your local library for books under the headings of Iditarod,
dog sled, and Alaska. For a list of books on the subject, check out Jan Wong's list of
Iditarod Books page,
or this list of Sled Dog Books from
WorkingDogWeb.
The following titles are books I personally have seen and looked through, have
read, or are currently reading, with my own observations about them:
Adventures of the Iditarod Air Force by Ted Mattson, 154 pages.
Short stories of just a few pages each that can be easily read to your students in small snipets.
Could be a self-read by 6th and above. It gives perspective on the race from a totally different
view - up in the air!
A Fan's Guide to the Iditarod by Mary H. Hood, 412 pages. Up-to-date
facts to 1996 when the book was published, this book has a lot of solid information in sections entitled:
Race Preparation, A Musher's Gear, Out on the Trail, and others. She has compiled complete place standings
for all racers from 1973 through 1996. It's been called a "truly, all-inclusive encyclopedic
work", and I agree. Best detailed telling of the 1925 Serum Run I've found.
Alaska by James A. Michener, paperback, 1,073 pages. Exhaustive
historical novel encompassing the land and people of Alaska in classic Michener style. Absorbing
reading for adults once you get into it.
Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott O'Dell, 134 pages. Reading level
4th or 5th up. Currently reading
to my boys as a Family Read Along book, about a young native girl who races the Iditarod in
her father's stead. Here are two sites that provide questions for your students to ponder and answer... Black Star, Bright Dawn discussion questions by Raymond Marshall Jr. of Quillayute Valley School District and Black Star, Bright Dawn questions written by the author in collaboration with a 7th grade teacher.
Dashing Through the Snow - The Story of the Jr. Iditarod by
Sherry Shanhan, 48 pages. This book explains the Jr. Iditarod, a two-day version of
"The Last Great Race on Earth" for mushers aged 14 to 17. Not a self-reader for younger ages, but has wonderful large color photos. You can get more information
on the Jr. Iditarod at http://www.oregontrail.net/~thesmiths/iditarod/jridit.html.
Dogteam by Gary Paulsen, 30 pages. Picture book illustrated by his wife.
Iditarod Curriculum, The Last Great Race to Nome by Shelley Gill (the fifth woman to compete in the Iditarod),
Spiral bound paperback, 112 pages. Excellent curriculum teaching guide! Fun pages with lots of activites for your classroom.
Iditarod Dream - Dusty and His Sled Dogs Compete in Alaska's Jr. Iditarod by Ted Wood, 48 pages. About
one boy's experience in the Jr. event. Great "read aloud" book as it is not a self-reader for younger
ages. Also has large, color photographs. Really caught my boys' attention.
Mush! A Beginner's Manuel of Sled Dog Training edited by Bella Levorsen
for the Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers, Inc., 246 pages. I did not read this one word-for-word,
but it is extremely thorough in it's explanation on every front. Includes line
drawings of harnesses, sleds, and other equipment used as well as how to tie
certain knots, and how to build a traveling box for your dogs. We used the harness pictures
to make a felt harness for a stuffed toy dog, helping us to learn the names of the different lines.
No End in Sight by Rick Steber. I am currently reading this book about
Rachael Scdoris, a legally blind 19-year-old who has proven her mustard as a sled dog racer and
after a two year legal battle has received permission to run in the 2005 race. She'll be one I'm
watching this year!
Race Across Alaska by Libby Riddles, 239 pages. Libby was the first
woman to win the Iditarod in 1985, and this is her story of her journey through the race. Adult
text, but easy to read. I enjoyed this telling, but especially was interested in the
various research details in the margins. She gives a lot of credit to the ability of her dogs.
Race Against Death by Seymour Reit, a Scholastic paperback, 92 pages. Making history come alive, this book is the story of the Serum Run of 1925 for an upper elementary reading level.
Running North by Ann Mariah Cook, 312 pages. Adult text. Ann tells
their family's story of moving to Alaska from the "lower 48" to run the Yukon Quest, and the details behind the
life of a mushing team. She gives a really good look at the handler's "race" and a wife's anxiety over
her husband on the the trail.
Scrub Dog of Alaska by Walt Morey (author of Gentle Ben), 152 pages.
6th grade and above reading level. Scrub, a runt pup thrown away by his owner grows into a
magnificient winner and 14 year-old David must save him from his owner again. Great story of the
love between dog and boy, powerful characters. My sons both really enjoyed this book.
The Bravest Dog Ever - The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford, 48 pages. A Step 2 Book for
grades 1 through 3 reading. Covers the facts, a self-reader, good material for book report.
Winterdance - The Fine Maddness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen, 256 pages.
Adult reading. Be forewarned: his narration includes some profanity. The writer, having run the Iditarod in 1983 and
1985, tells of his "becoming dog." I was captivated, and in some parts, laughed till I cried. This
writing gave me a more realistic look, and reverence at just what the journey on the trail entails.
Woodsong by Gary Paulsen, paperback, 132 pages. This is Mr.
Paulsen's adventures written for 5th grade and up. I suggest pre-reading the book as I,
personally, found some parts too eerie or mystical to share with my youngest.
and the book which led me to this study, but is not about the Iditarod:
Arctic Homestead by Norma Cobb is
an excellent telling of one family's quest for freedom by homesteading
in Alaska in the early 1970's, their
trials and joys. They themselves used dog sleds for transportation in and out of their valley, and
their oldest son, Sid, had dreams of running the Iditarod. I thought this was a really good book. Adult reading,
sharing selected sections to kids.
