Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle
Walker & Company, 2002
ISBN: 0-8027-8811-4
Ages 7 - 10
AWARDS AND REVIEWS:
Children's Book Council - 2003 Outstanding Trade Book, Field of Social Studies
Miller does a thorough job of explaining the different dog teams and owners and how many people and dogs played a part in the rescue despite difficult conditions.Van Zyle's polished paintings of sled dogs in action complement the story well. The official painter of the Iditarod race effectively captures the Alaska landscape, expecially in sweeping vistas of snow, sky, and northern lights. This volume offers a more complete history of the serum race and all the heroic players...
- Kirkus
"This is an excellent account told with lots of detail and drama"
- School Library Journal
CREATING THE BOOK:
The 1925 serum run to Nome was one of the most dramatic races in Alaska's history. I enjoyed researching the book and used as many first-hand accounts that I could discover, including a copy of one of the original telegrams requesting emergency help for the town of Nome.
All of the mushers in the serum race have died, but four mushers left wonderful taped oral histories about the race. Alfred John, the five-year old boy in the story, still lives in Nenana. As a little boy, he remembers seeing the first relay musher leave for Nome in 50-below temperatures. Alfred and I walked some of the old mushing trail together and I'm grateful that he shared his memories of the serum run and growing up in Nenana in the 1920s.
Leonard Seppala, a famous dog musher who was in the team relay, wrote his own book, Alaskan Dog Driver, which includes his personal account of the serum run. Seppala owned both Togo and Balto, along with many other Siberian Huskies. His book describes the serum race in detail, with lots of information about his favorite dog, Togo. The more I learned about Togo, the more I loved this amazing husky.
A wonderful 95-year old lady named Ingeborg MacMillan contributed the two historic black and white photos of Togo and Leonard Seppala's dog team in the book. Ingeborg wanted children to see real pictures of these heroic dogs. She grew up in Nome and played with Togo and Balto when they were puppies. I'm very grateful for the photos and memories of Nome that she shared with me. Sadly, Ingeborg passed away in September, 2002, but a part of her history lives on in this book.
It was exciting to read all the old news clippings about the serum run. Newspapers all over the country reported on the progress of the serum run. I'm most grateful to the staff at the University of Alaska's Rasmuson Library Archives and the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum in Nome, for guiding me to many historic sources pertaining to the serum run.
Last, Jon and Jona Van Zyle are both dog mushers and they own many Siberian Huskies. As the official Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race artist, Jon was the perfect illustrator for this book. He has also raced two times in the Iditarod. He and Jona provided lots of expertise regarding dog mushing terms, Siberian Huskies, and the history of the serum run.
FUN FACTS FOR KIDS:
Did you know that...
* More than 160 sled dogs on 20 different teams worked together in a relay race to save the town of Nome from the 1925 diphtheria epidemic.
* Togo and his team ran a total of 261 miles during the serum race - the longest distance of all 20 teams. Togo ran much farther than Balto.
* Togo won many dog races in Alaska and lived to the age of sixteen. His body was mounted and is now displayed at the Iditarod Race Museum in Wasilla, Alaska.
* A statue of Balto was erected in New York City's Central Park in 1925. Balto died in 1933, at the age of fourteen. His body is mounted and housed at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
* Balto became the most famous dog of the serum race because he was one of the leaders of the team that ran the last leg of the serum run relay. He became a symbol for all the heroic dogs.
