Let author Wayne Lynch take you on an alphabetic tour of the Arctic, one of this well-traveled writer and photographer’s favorite places in the word. Beautiful images and fabulous facts bring the Arctic to life. Whether you’re interested in the northern lights, narwhals, or lichen, you’ll find this book a hot guide to a cool place.

In Arctic A to Z, author Wayne Lynch writes about the Arctic in alphabet form. It’s a great book to read if you were studying the Arctic. I think you could get almost a whole report from this book. In fact, after reading this book, I want to do a report on the Arctic.

I learned some things from the book. The aurora borealis, for example, is beautiful and mysterious at the same time and there is a scientific explanation for it. Little electric sparks flying toward Earth cause the aurora borealis. Not all of the sparks break through Earth’s magnetic field. Other sparks hit the sparks that are trapped in the atmosphere and that’s what makes the wavy effect.

My favorite letter in the book was “N,” because it was about such an unknown animal, the narwhal. It was fun to learn about this unusual animal. The narwhal’s tusk can grow up to half its body length.

I really think that if most people read this book, we would understand the Arctic a lot more. I recommend this book to other kids 8 and up because some of the facts are more difficult for younger kids. It also has some big words that little kids might not understand. Reading a very interesting book is a great way to learn.

(Originally published in the May/June 2010 issue of YES Mag.)