Animals to the rescue! Balto by Emma Carlson Berne, illustrated by Francesca Rosa

Contrary to what some patrons think, I do not read every book that comes into the library! Some I can just look at and know they will be popular, which was the case for this series.

This book tells the story of Balto, but it's more than just recounting the legend; it starts with a brief introduction to Balto and other sled dogs and then explains the context of the story, from what diptheria is to the history and use of sled dogs in Alaska. When it comes to the actual race, it follows each group step by step, including naming the Indigenous men who drove part of the way as well. After the teams successfully brought the medicine to Nome, it follows the fortunes of the dogs and their owners, including how the original owner of Balto, and the man who drove the longest section of the race, felt that his lead dog Togo was overlooked.

There's a brief note to the readers about what parts of the book were fictionalized, short biographies of some of the people mentioned, and a timeline. There are also black and white illustrations throughout the book.

I'm not sure this can strictly be called a series; two titles, this one and one featuring Sergeant Reckless, a horse in the Korean War, were published in the fall of 2022, but I've seen no information about plans for future volumes. It's a pity, because kids really, really liked these!

Verdict: If you can get these, they're worth adding and I hope Scholastic continues the series in the future. If not, Horse Diaries and Dog Diaries are a good read-alike series.

ISBN: 9781338681420; Published August 2022 by Scholastic; Purchased for the library