Tuesday, August 07, 2007

The Igloo

"The people who make their homes near the top of the world have learned to survive in the harsh climate of the Arctic - a cold so intense it can crack anything it touches, with wild freezing winds and endless fields of snow. For part of the year the sun never rises, and for another part the midnight sun endlessly circles the sky. Hunger is a constant threat, and there are no trees and few animals. Everything the Eskimos need - their food, their clothing, their tools - must be devisedwith great ingenuity from the meager materials at hand. No creation of the Eskimos is more ingenious than the house they live in for much of the year - the igloo, which uses snow itself as a protection from bitter cold and wind."
- From the book "The Igloo" by Charlotte and David Yue


This is a children's book, I wonder why - is it because adults should have known all about the igloos? Well, I have found that children's books are very educative unlike the fiction novels. Anyway, when I saw this book in the library, I knew I had to read it. The only time I had read about an igloo is at school - some book where different types of housing was mentioned. The book explains the lifestyle of Eskimos and how they construct an igloo(illustrations available - I felt more like visiting a museum).

More to come........