Kiana's Iditarod

by Shelley Gill, Shannon Cartwright (Illustrations)

Kiana, the lead dog on one of the sleds, takes part in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens, School, Dogs

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Alaskan author Shelley Gill lives in Homer, Alaska at the end of the road in North America. Her books reflect her life: racing in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, doing humpback research in Prince William Sound and working as a naturalist in various habitats: Alaska, Antarctica and Hawaii. Her current project, Whale Detective, follows her own research into the community life of humpbacks in Alaska. Her APP What's Up With Whales is in the App Store and looks at the new science about whales around the world. And in February her first board book: If I Were A Whale will be released by Sasquatch Books. She has visited 4800 schools around the world inspiring students to be avid readers and great writers. Her autobiography, Gabe-a girl, her dog and the 1970's, was released in the fall 2016.

Reviews

[Julia Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a childhood favorite. I had it in a bin for ages until I could find a place for it on my shelves, but at last it has a home!

I grew up watching the animated movie, "Balto", so I was familiar with sled dogs and with races like the Iditarod. I'm not sure why my mom first read us this book. It could've been part of some home school curriculum.

The illustrations are gorgeous and the story still fascinates me today. The book is about a young husky leader named Kiana who runs the Iditarod. It's told in a rough poem form which, to me, enhances the flavor of the book.

If for nothing else, check it out for the illustrations alone.

[Denali · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Age range says 4-8, but because of the length of the book and overall average sentence length/number of words per page I'd say it's more suitable for ages 6-9.
The rhyming was fine.
Some pages had just a few lines, as expected in a children's book. But some pages were completely filled with words. Which also meant that the lettering was smaller, which could be more difficult for children/readers.

[Terry]

Read. Not reviewed.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my niece many years ago, it wasn't a favorite, but she must have liked it since I kept it.

Needed: a different font!

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once upon a time I thought I would create a unit about the Iditarod. This was one of the books purchased for that. The unit never got to the teaching stage.

This is an okay story. Told in rhyme, it shares the story of Kiana, the lead dog on a team in the Iditarod. Of course, through Kiana's perseverance, her team won the race.

We see the journey, the snow, the struggles of running the race. It is decent, but the language I think would be problematic for most of my students.

One scene provides a good place to predict (why did the mushers keep an eye on the door?).

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an exciting and dramatic tale about sled dogs competing in the Iditarod race in Alaska. The rhyming narrative is engaging, but not too long, and the illustrations are colorful. It would certainly be a great way to introduce children to the history and excitement of this famous race.

I discovered this one while shopping for souvenirs during my short stay in Anchorage.

[Chad Hovermale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the presence of the idea of perserverance in this book. The dog team, led by Kiana, plods on for days toward the finish line in Nome. The proper names of cities and trails are difficult, but they are not a distraction.

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book learning about the dog sledding races in Alaska. This is a story about Kiana the lead dog and her adventure across Alaska. It talks about the weather, and the struggles and happiness of this race.

[Vj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative & interesting. Poetry form okay, but I think it could have been written as an informational book. Would be good in a thematic unit about the Iditarod.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming text; readers should already have some knowledge about the Iditarod.