The Arctic is not a barren, frigid landscape filled with only ice and snow. It is a complex ecosystem that contains many thriving habitats, each supported by dozens of ecological relationships between plants and animals. From the many animals that live and hunt at the floe edge, to the hundreds of insects that abound on the summer tundra, this book gives a detailed bird's-eye view of the fascinating ways that animals, plants, and insects co-exist in the Arctic ecosystem. Written by Mia Pelletier, a biologist and wilderness field researcher, and complete with a glossary to clearly explain biological terms to young readers, this book provides a sound informational basis to understanding the Arctic ecosystem in all its facets.

After thick-billed murre Akpa emerges from his egg, high on an Arctic cliff, he soon learns that he must embark on a long migration before he is even able to fly. Flinging himself into the icy water with his father to guide him, Akpa must swim 1,000 kilometres of his journey south before he is able to finally fly the final leg of his journey. Adult male murres are also unable to fly during this time of the year, due to their changing feathers, so father and son must navigate south on the choppy ocean waves, meeting new and unfamiliar creatures along the way.

There are 20,000 species of butterflies in the world, but only several dozen are found on the tundra of the North American Arctic. Many Arctic animals have warm, woolly coats, downy feathers, or thick layers of blubber, and Arctic butterflies appear fragile with their fluttering, delicate wings. Yet the hardy butterflies that live at the top of the world have many clever ways to keep themselves warm in cool summers and endure icy-cold winters. In A Children’s Guide to Arctic Butterflies, young readers learn about twelve of the butterflies that call the Arctic home and how they survive on the tundra from one season to the next. With a simple layout and easy-to-follow headings for each butterfly, this beautiful book is filled with fun, useful facts, including introductory material about the life cycle and anatomy of butterflies and how they begin life as caterpillars. Step inside and journey North—you may even spot a familiar fluttering friend. While some of the butterflies found in A Children’s Guide to Arctic Butterflies are among the most northern of butterfly species, many can also be found south of the Arctic and in high, cold places around the world!

In addition to the many types of bird that live in the Arctic year-round, there are about one hundred species that travel seasonally to the Arctic to lay their eggs and raise their young. In this book, young readers learn about twelve of the birds that call the Arctic home, whether that be for all or part of the year. With a simple layout and easy-to-follow headings for each bird, this beautiful book is filled with fun, useful facts, including where to look for eggs and nests during the short Arctic summer and how to recognize each bird's call on the wind. Because migratory birds live in the Arctic for part of the year, many of the feathered friends covered in A Children's Guide to Arctic Birds can be seen at various times of the year throughout North America.