In the fall of 2021, Albert Whitman launched a new series of informational picture books, Animalographies, featuring a variety of heroic or famous animals and their stories. I had looked at a few descriptions, but this was the first one I finally ended up reading (admittedly under the mistaken impression it was a chapter book).
Told as a narrative partially from the dogs themselves, this particular story is of the heroic race of Togo and Balto to get the diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska. The introduction briefly mentions the use of sled dogs by indigenous peoples, then focuses on the story of the two dogs, focusing on Togo, who is less well-known than Balto. Togo tells the story of his training and early life, then explains the circumstances around their famous relay race and narrates the exciting events. Digital cartoons show a predominantly white cast with smiling cartoon dogs racing through the snow.
Back matter consists of a fact sheet on sled dogs and the use of Huskies as sled dogs in history.
Verdict: The writing is rather pedestrian, and the story greatly simplified, but kids who love true stories about animal heroes will be thrilled with this new series and I think most libraries will find it a popular title to have on the shelf.
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