1st December Happy Antarctica Day

Antarctica Day falls on the anniversary of the adoption of the Antarctic Treaty, which took place on 1 December 1959.

Australia was one of 12 original signatories to the Treaty and continues to play a leading and influential role in international Antarctic affairs. The number of parties to the Treaty has grown to 53 today, reflecting the increasing international recognition of the scientific and environmental values of Antarctica.

The Year 2 children I teach are fascinated by Antarctica because I often read Jill Tomlinson's novel 

The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out

which follows the life of an emperor penguin chick named Otto, and then we do some research on emperor penguins to see if Jill Tomlinson had researched them before including the factual detail in the book. While Year 2 are doing a unit of inquiry on water we also look at Antarctica as being a desert and why that is.

If you are celebrating Antarctica Day in your library there are so many books for a display.

Great picture books:

• Sophie Scott Goes South  by Alison Lester

• One Small Island  by Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch

• Antarctica  by Helen Cowcher

• Antarctica by Moira Court

• Iceberg by Claire Saxby and Jessica Racklyeft

• My Uncle Lives in Antarctica by Aimee Chan and Angela Perrini

• One Day on Our Blue Planet ...in the Antarctic by Ella Bailey

• Dreaming of Antarctica  by Jane Godwin and Terry Denton

• My Antarctic Dad  by Hazel Edwards and Kevin Burgemeestre

• Solo by Paul Geraghty

• The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out by Jill Tomlinson and Paul Howard

• Antarctic Journal by Meredith Hooper and Lucia deLeiris

Some more factual books and some books with photographs:

• Here in Antarctica  by Madeleine Dunphy and Tom Leonard

• Antarctica: the Heart of the World by Coral Tulloch

• Let's Save Antarctica  by Catherine Barr and Jean Claude

• Antarctica (Usborne Beginners) by Lucy Bowman

• Emperor Penguin (Young Zoologist)  by Dr LaRue

• The Big Book of Antarctica  by Charles Hope

• The Antarctica Book: Living in the Freezer by Dr. Mark Norman

• The Penguin Book: Birds in Suits by Dr Mark Norman

• Antarctica: A Continent of Wonder by Mario Cuesta Hernando and Raquel Martin