Antarctic Closeup
Author: Hazel Edwards
Illustrated by: Meegan Parkee
Publisher: National Museum of Australia Press
ISBN: 9781876944544
Available from: September 21st, 2007 release, & available from the museum, or bookshops.
'Faction' inspired by real items from the National Museum of Australia's collection.
Via web-cam, could today's boy join Mawson's Antarctica of last century? Where did John Collinson Close's telescope fit into that 1912 expedition? Close did save his mates in the Aladdin ice cave. What types of courage mattered?
As literary sleuth, I kept a W.I.P. (work in progress) log of how the facts were blended into the logic of electronic fantasy. (Check Through the Looking Glass) John Close's photo with far-seeing eyes became my screen-saver inspiration.
A web-cam was the equivalent of a telescope for 'seeing'. Today's John and his schoolmate Peter are fiction, but the telescope and the courage of Antarctic explorers are fact.
Reviews
Downloads
- Work in progress log (W.I.P.)
- View Frank Hurley's documentary footage of Mawson's 1911-1914 Antarctic expedition (MPEG4, 4mb)
- Explore Antarctic Close-up discussion questions
- Classroom activities
Related links