Park ranger and wildlife biologist Heuer and his wife follow a caribou herd as it migrates to its calving grounds. They observe the hardships of the herd as the animals are plagued by wolves, bears, and insects; the couple also endures dramatic blizzards (which don't faze the caribou). The breathtaking photographs taken on the journey are the book's highlight. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Gr 4-7-This is an adaptation of an adult title by the same name (Mountaineers, 2005). Heuer recounts in short chapters of text and handsome color photographs a venture with his wife to follow on foot a herd of female caribou on their summer trek to their Arctic birthing grounds. He provides some impressive views of the terrain and the enormous numbers of traveling caribou, yet his account is a sketchy overview interspersed with bits of intriguing detail. "In our exhausted and hungry state we began having visions. The line between being caribou and being human shifted." He claims as rationale for the expedition a desire to demonstrate the need for protecting the remote site from intended oil drilling, which will threaten the caribou life cycle. He makes a small start on the case here, though readers may be left wanting to know more about both the caribou and the human experience of living with them for several months. Jim Brandenburg's photographic account of following an enemy of the caribou through this region in To the Top of the World: Adventures with Arctic Wolves (Walker, 1993) offers more detail and plentiful close-up views of the animals. The two books would make a terrific pair for booktalking, and Heuer's interesting subject matter also connects to several possible curriculum topics.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.