Book Description
for Except Antarctica by Todd Sturgell
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
An off-screen narrator launches into what feels like the voiceover to a nature documentary on the opening pages: “This is a turtle. Turtles are found on every continent except Antarctica. They are cold-blooded and cannot survive in a cold, harsh … Hey, where are you going?” The turtle in the illustration has donned a warm hat and replies that it is headed to Antarctica. An argument ensues while the turtle continues on his journey, joined along the way by other animals found on every continent except Antarctica: an owl, dung beetle, snake, mouse, bee, and frog. All push back against the narrator’s annoyingly all-knowing attitude by deciding to make the trip with the turtle. When they come to the ocean’s edge, the turtle floats on his shell, and all the other animals stack up on top of him. They reach their destination, to the confusion of the penguins there, but it is cold—too cold—and they head back to warmer shores. The narrator’s moment of triumph (“HA! Like I said, the Antarctic climate is too extreme for these animals!”) is short-lived. “Emperor penguins are found only in Antarctica.” “'Oh, really?’” says the penguin who is packing a suitcase and heading off to catch up with the other animals. The humorous conflict between the narrator and the characters is sustained throughout the story, which imparts an amazing amount of information about animals and their natural habitats. (Ages 4-7)
CCBC Choices 2022. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2022. Used with permission.