This is a great video set; watching Michael Palin travel the world, adding his unique sense of humor to every situation is a treat. ditto w/ Around the World in 80 days, and Full Circle.

Michael Palin provides an offbeat and interesting documentary of his trip from the North Pole to the South Pole. This video makes you wish you could have gone with him!

I actually purchased the book before seeing the series, noting the name Michael Palin on the cover, and remembering his adventures around the world in 80 days. The fact that I did not see the show somehow made the book more enjoyable to read. Palin has a very descriptive, yet easy-to-follow writing style, which helped me vividly imagine the exotic locales & various personalities. Of course, the photos by Basil Pao helped a lot. All in all, great work, so much so that it doesn't feel like a TV companion, but a travelogue that can stand strongly on its own.

An extraordinary true story of courage, determination and fortitude. Every chapter not only contains the wow factor but is an illustration of what the human spirit is capable of. Thayer is an accomplished writer who keeps the reader wanting more. An incredible story of a woman and her faithful dog Charlie, as they endure the hardships of polar travel on foot together with no dog teams or snowmobiles or resupply.
Sue White
Edmonton, Canada

Polar Dream is the personal memoir of Helen Thayer, the first woman (and the oldest person at age 50) to travel on foot, unresupplied, to the magnetic North Pole. Her harrowing trek on skis for 27 days, aided only by a dog trained to warn her of approaching bears, is described in vivid, engaging detail, as are her seven encounters with polar bears which she survived through skill, luck and quick thinking. Black-and-white photographs, including ones taken by the author during her trek, enhanced a narrative of profound insights into the beauty and wildness of the arctic. Readers who appreciate true life adventure will enjoy the excitement and wonder of Helen Thayer's Polar Dream.

I first read this book in a German translation and then attended a lecture in New York by Helen Thayer, the author. Because of her amazing world wide adventures from the Polar Regions, to the deserts and the Amazon rain forest I expected someone six-feet tall. Instead I listened as this five-feet-three-inch diminutive dynamo enthralled her audience with her solo walk to the magnetic North Pole at 50 years old and her subsequent adventures including a trek of almost 1,500 miles across the Gobi desert last year at 63 years old.
Polar Dream, the story of her solo walk to the magnetic North Pole with her Inuit dog Charlie is invigorating, with a down to earth humble look at life.
Charlie is loyaly devoted to Helen and saves her life from a polar bear. Polar Dream has been available for ten years. The first edition was excellent and the second edtion is even better with many more photos. I bought 14 books in English, 4 books in German, and one in Dutch for Christmas presents and all recipients are inspired and can't wait for Thayer's next book.
The fast moving, highly descriptive story is sentitive and not afraid to expose vulnerable inner thoughts and feelings.
This is a great book for men and women as proven by my Christmas gift list.
And kudos to wonderful Charlie, Helen's devoted dog-assitant and life saver on the journey.

Christopher Pala brings the polar regions to life with his accounts of important but long forgotten or ignored expeditions. He describes his own trip to the Pole with wit and humor. A great book, don't miss it

This book has it all. Sex, adventure, politics, the Russian mafia, beautiful women and a finely crafted sense of wonder for the exotic and the unreachable. The storyline revolves around a superficially bleak and uninterestiing place, the so called frozen arctic wastes of popular imagination. Chris Pala brings it all alive with a humorous and discerning touch. No armchair adventurer will be able to put this down, and no one will ever read the National Geographic magazine with the same reverence again. A wordly foreign correspondent in the distant "stans, Pala may be the new Hemingway.

Do you want to experience a fantastic adventure vacation? Just read this book and you will see just exactly why Christopher Pala fell in love with going to the North Pole. Believe me! It's true! I have just come back from this exact same expedition and I'm going back next year. It's not just going to the North Pole that is fantastic it's the process of getting there. Staying in the Khatanga hotel in Northern Siberia, sleeping in the cabin on Sredney Island, flying in all of the Russian planes and meeting the Russian people, that's fantastic. But there's a lot more, it's the other people that you meet on the expedition that are going along with you. They will be your friends for life. One man on our expedition was a former Mig-21 pilot, just one week before he went to the pole he flew a Mig-25 to 80,000 feet, next he stood on the North Pole, and two days after he returned from the expedtion he launched a rocket over the pole from Vandenburg Air Force Base. Another man was one of the world's top Neural Network Computer scientist, we had a webmaster from yellowairplane.com, a banker from Singapore, two skiiers that have previously crossed Antarctica and Greenland, a journalist from Denmark, a mag-lev railroad scientist and a lot more. We had seven skydivers which jumped from ten thousand feet over the pole and the oldest lady, ever, to go to the North Pole. This book tells it all and exactly why you would want to go there yourself. It's fantastic, you absolutely need to read this one.

C. Jeff Dyrek, now, arctic explorer

What an exciting and amazing story this is! Against all odds these very strong and tenacious adventurers have skied across a nearly impassable collection of mobile ocean ice to the North Pole and back under conditions of extreme cold - as cold as -72 degrees! All supplies for 4 months for this completely self-sufficient expedition were carried in backpacks and dragged along in sleds. Their pre-trip planning was so complete they knew in advance when every morsel of food would be consumed! That totaled enough for a daily calorie allotment was 7000 calories. To eat less would incur a dangerous loss of strength.

The book is well written and very exciting. It kept me riveted to my seat until I finished reading it. When I was done, I felt as if I had been part of the adventure - except I was still warm and comfortable, with no aching muscles!

I confess an interest - I have skied to the North Pole with Weber and Malakhov. By contrast with the experience outlined in this book, however, my trip was a walk in the park - plenty of food, fuel and sunlight, temperatures above -25C and only 8 days on the ice. No number of words, or for that matter photographs, can even begin to describe the achievement of these two, or the hardships they endured. Weber described to me his experience on their (failed) 1992 attempt to get to the Pole and back as "being a frozen packhorse". There are no more experienced polar explorers in history than these two; they are surely amongst the most modest. For anyone who has romanticised over Peary, or even merely enjoyed an armchair read of the experiences of expeditioners, this book is mandatory. The prose is not perfect (and in large part translated from Russian), hence I have marked it down to a "9"; but this imperfection gives the tale an added air of authenticit

The North Pole is called "the place that wants you dead" for good reasons. Yet these two men are like the "Energizer Bunny" of Polar trekkers. They continued to walk for weeks, from drifting ice flow to ice flow, during the spring breakup while authorities wanted to declare them insane and force their air rescued. They resisted this by satellite radio, partially because they didn't want to pay the $100,000 cost! I am still stunned at the skill, determination and humor these guys displayed. They did what has always been considered impossible - but went about it like ordinary people who get up everyday and commute to work. They even referred to the ice as their "office" where they went to work every morning from their tent. The writing is very good, the achievmentranks as a worlds record, and the travelers are at peace with themselves and with life itself. They won my heart and sincere admiration

I never thought I would try applique, but this book, with it's clear instruction and beautiful patterns inspired me to try. I just completed my first project. I love the photos they give of completely finished blocks, with ideas for embellishment. Truly inspiring. I am hooked!

As a beginning applique quilter with intermediate sewing skills, getting this book is like being a kid in a candy store! I don't know which little house to make first!

Much of the applique is very teeny-tiny (e.g. the reindeer antlers, window panes). However, the book gives tips on simplifying these hard parts (e.g. using twigs or ultrasuede for the reindeer antlers). Actually, the applique is easier than it looks, and the results are GREAT! It really isn't that much harder to 'cut as you go' (for the thin spirals). I'm learning a lot of applique techniques by working on this quilt.

The book itself is simply a black and white compilation of the patterns needed to complete the quilt on the front cover.

I saw this quilt completely finished at a quilt show and it is absolutely breath-taking. I spent half an hour just standing there and looking at all the detail of the quilt. It snagged each person who walked by and got a lot of attention! If you are looking for a project that will be greatly admired, this certainly is worth tackling.

Whimsical village designs that may be put together for a variety of purposes. While the title claims North Pole, it is appropriate to display all year.

The author does an outstanding job at offer the details of survival in the north. I lived in Trenton for many years and know some of the people mentioned. It is embarassing as a Canadian to see how ill equiped we are and what we make our troops do with so little to work with.

The rescue part in the book was a bit abrupt and final...perhaps he could have offered more insight to the final rescue moments.

A thrilling story how just real life can write it. Realistic to the bone with these magic moments which you cannot explain. They just happen and everybody has its own idea what it was for. This book enriches your world of symbols and you learn about the (protection-?) function of phantasy in extreme situations. The book is full of very personal ways to death and back to life. Lots of details make it to more than a "light at the end of the tunnel story". All this is framed by the technical world of the search and rescue schemes with its todays heros: The people of the rescue squads. These storyline let the reader rest after the emotional parts of personal (the main characters) hardship. Both storylines together build up the enormous suspense of this book. To the author: Good, very sensitive recherche realisticly narrated. Perfect for this story.+++ Thanks to all the people who added their for sure not very pleasant memories to make this book possible +++

This is a lovely story. Both the writing and the illustrations are superior. This is one of those books that is definitely worth owning, and in a hardcover version, not a paperback that will wear and tear. Parents: it is a keeper, one that you will save for years and to read to your future grandchildren.

The story is of a boy's journey on a mysterious train, the Polar Express, that takes children (adorned in their pajamas) to the North Pole to Santa's village. I won't spoil the story by telling any more...

There are loads of Christmas themed children's books out there for this age range. Many are mediocre or just plain garbage. This book is in the superior category and a "must own".

Knowing nothing about this story, both my son and I were drawn to it because of his love of trains. If you don't know the story, just be aware it introduces the idea that not all people believe in Santa Claus. This was the first time my (then) three-year-old learned that not everyone believes, whether they are adults or children. It also explains that as some people grow older they change from a believer to a non-believer. Just know that before reading the story to your child. For us it introduced the idea of non-believing. Another family I know read the book after an older child told this young child there is no Santa Claus, and the book helped deal with the issue of when some believe and some don't believe.

The gift pack we purchased had the audio version on CD. Narrator-actor William Hurt's voice is wonderful, slow and flowing...just right to evoke the mood of the story! There is also a CD-ROM for the computer (sold separately), which is a read-aloud story with images that my children watch a handful of times per Christmas season.

The gift pack also comes with a Christmas tree ornament. My children are thrilled to have a Polar Express related ornament to adorn our Christmas tree because they love trains and they love this story.

This book is one of the most magical children's books I have ever come across! As soon as you open the front cover, you enter an exquisite world that has an almost dream-like quality to it. It is told in the first person point of view of an adult recounting his most memorable Christmas experience. And what an experience! The boy in the story is awakened one Christmas Eve by a train whistle and discovers the Polar Express waiting to take him to the North Pole to see Santa. Once there, the boy is chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas. The boy has a touchingly simple request --to have one of the bells from the harness of Santa's reindeer. It is given to him, and he is filled with joy! Yet, on the way home, the boy discovers that there is a hole in the pocket of his bathrobe, and he has lost the treasured bell.He is heart broken. The next morning he finds the bell in a box under the tree, and he rejoices in the new-found bell and its marvelous sound! The catch? Only those who truly believe in the magic of Santa can hear the sound of the bell.
I read this story every year to my children, and every year there is absolute silence as they listen, entranced, to this deceptively simple story. Afterward, they always beg to hear it again and again! They are fascinated by the beautiful illustrations and the language of this very moving story. I have a CD with my version and Liam Neeson does a beautiful job of reading the book, along with superb background sounds and effects that will make you feel as if you had taken the journey yourself. You will not for a minute regret buying this book--I guarantee it will become a treasured favorite with your children!As an adult it will fill you with a wistful yearning to go back to your childhood and experience once again the magic of being a child.

The Polar Express is a train that picks up children on Christmas Even and takes them the North Pole, where they can hopefully receive the first Christmas present from Santa Claus. The boy we follow wants a bell from Santa's sleigh and gets it, but loses it through the hole in his pocket. The next morning, the bell is under his tree with a note from "Mr. C." He and his sister can hear it ring, but not his parents because they do not truly believe. The pastel drawings are beautiful and very realistic. They have just the right balance of hard lines and detail with softness and subtlety.

I remember receiving this book as a gift from my father when it was new. I was just a small child and I remember how much I enjoyed the beautiful illustrations and longing to receive that special gift just like the boy in the story. Unfortunately so many years have passed that I don't think I could hear the bell either - except when I read this book. It is truly a special gift in itself.

Why 5 stars?:
The illustrations are absolutely wonderful. Clearly, one can see why this book won a Caldecott Award. The magic of Santa Claus is brought back to everyone who reads this book. A wonderful story to read to children at Christmastime - or any time of year.

This is (IMHO) one of the finest books ever written about arctic exploration (and I've read dozens). Berton is a superb writer, an unmatched storyteller, and a gifted chronicler of much-too-neglected aspect of recent history. The men and women of arctic exploration come alive under the author's perceptive pen, and before you know it you caught up in the world of Parry, Ross, Franklin, Back, Simpson, Amundsen, Cook, Peary, and host of lesser-known but intriguing characters. If you have a heart for history and the people that influenced it, you won't be able to put this book down! An added bonus is the respect with which the author treats the arctic native peoples, without whose help and support every kabloona (white man) who ever set foot into the arctic would have died tragically. I've read this book three times, and am looking forward to my fourth journey into the world of "The Arctic Grail."

If you like to read about the incredible world of Arctic exploration, this is a book you must read! Pierre Berton covers almost 100 years of man's effort to discover the Northwest Passage and the North Pole. Although it is a long read (over 600 pages) the author's wonderful storytelling style keeps you eagerly turning page after page. Each account seems to have been well researched and the facts are there for the reader to absorb. It is amazing to read how poorly the British were prepared for Arctic travel, how they refused to learn from the native people, yet how much they achieved in spite of their attitude. This book has a good message for us all. We can learn from others! Those explorers who did so, were a lot more successful in the long run. The book ends with Peary and Cook's claim to the North Pole. It is quite an account of two men who were more consumed with their image rather than the truth. Who was the greatest of the bunch? You'll have fun picking your winner. I vote for Roald Amundsen! This is a great book!

Years ago I had read an article about the discovery and autopsy of the remains of three seamen from the Franklin expedition. I was so taken by the arctic story recapitulated for that article that when I discovered Ice Blink I read it greedily, becoming a fan of arctic exploration. That find lead me to the current book, The Arctic Grail by Canadian historian Pierre Berton.

In reading Berton's book, one can hardly fail to notice the fact that most of the search for the Northwest Passage, which occupied many adventurous souls for the better part of the 19th Century, was conducted: 1) by Franklin expeditions, 2) in search of survivors of the last Franklin expedition, 3) in search of information as to the fate of the members of the last Franklin expedition, and 4) in search of relics and journals that might come from the last Franklin expedition. It also becomes apparent that almost every venture into that frozen land led to tragedy and often death. It seems that very little was learned either through the experiences of the survivors of the various expeditions or from the lifestyle of the natives of the area. One is amazed that after the disasters that followed each undertaking, yet another venture would be proposed, despite the loss of life and the evident uselessness of the pass itself. Each expedition met with nightmarish experiences, many of the men dying of starvation and exposure, and while the officers might receive promotion in rank and recognition in the history books for their discoveries, the enlisted men who did most of the work got little more than an increase in pay if they lived to get it.

Of the rush to the North Pole, all that can be honestly said is that the notoriety of superhuman effort and of the attainment of nearly impossible goals inspired some pretty disgraceful behavior on behalf of a number of, particularly American, explorers. It becomes obvious that the chicanery of ambitious men looking to make a fortune as celebrities did not start in the last half of the 20th century. Both Cook and Peary seemed driven men whose egos could sustain the possible blight of fraudulent claims disputed by the records but not of public failure. What is sad, particularly in the latter case, is that the actual attainments of the discoverer were pretty amazing as it was. No one since has achieved quite so much under the same conditions. While others have been to the pole successfully, it required air dropped supplies and a flight in or out of the area.

Throughout the entire book one is confronted with a sense of a major lack of real respect for nature by so-called civilized man. It is tempting to see this attitude as a peculiarly 20th (now 21st) century phenomenon, but it seems to have had a good start in the 19th century. The hubris that makes modern man feel that he can tame nature with his various gadgets may just be part and parcel of human nature. Maybe it's just wishful thinking.

One of the particularly distressing aspects of the explorers accounts is of the callous treatment of the native population and of the total marginalization of their contributions. It's apparent from Berton's book that the safe return of many explorers was due largely to help from the Eskimos. I think a thorough narrative of Arctic exploration from their point of view-both their own conquest of the area and their take on the European and American explorations-might make very interesting reading indeed!

All in all the book is well written and well researched. It would definitely appeal to anyone with an interest in history, in man against nature, in man in nature, in geography, ethnography, and 19th Century culture. Anyone with a reading level of 6th grade or above should be able to comprehend it, and it might make interesting reading especially for young men.

My 7 year old son and I just finished reading Olive, the Orphan Reindeer. What a delightful story. Each year we read The Night Before Christmas, The Christmas Carol, or Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, it was nice to discover a new title to add to our holiday reading. The press release stated that this book was geared toward the age group 9-12. My 7 year old read this book with ease and understanding. I agree with Michael, this book is for anyone who believe in Christmas.

Good Job, Are there other books available by this author?

This is such a cute story, and so well done, it could easily be as popular as Rudolph, or Frosty the Snowman. I wouldn't be surprised if it were made into an animated Christmas TV movie. Olive is the female equivalent of Rudolph, and is quite a good choice to read as a companion to Rudolph, especially to little girls. Little girls need a good heroine at Christmas time and this is just the right one.

When Michael Christie first approached me via email with his wonderful children's Christmas story and the opportunity to post it on my website, I jumped at the chance. Not only is the story a sheer delight for children's imaginations, it's a marvel for any adult with the heart of a child. Michael has done an excellent job in weaving a wonderful tale of old-fashioned Christmas lore while at the same time incorporating contemporary details that today's child will relate to. And the depiction of Olive and her friends through Margeaux Lucas' illustrations are beautiful in and of themselves. Olive has quickly become a classic in my heart for many Christmases to come. Treat yourself and everyone you know - don't let this treasure get by you this year!

This is one terrific story. But wait, its not a story as in fiction, this is real. An incredible journey to say the least. For those unfamiliar with the story, it basically is about Helen's solo journey to the magnetic north pole with her friend an companion, Charlie the Inuit Dog.

This isn't one of those I came, I conquered stories. Helen relates her adventure in a down to earth manner letting the reader truly get a sense of the adventure, challenge, fear, hardship, and joy that she experienced. Yet don't think of this as merely a woman against nature. Its also about friendship. The friendship that became of her and her new companion Charlie. Charlie saved Helen's life on several occasions by alerting her of polar bears and in some cases even defending her from them.

This is a great read for all. The story moves quickly as it captivates the reader. I think it would be especially inspiring for anyone though perhaps women might find it even more so as it just goes to show that you can accomplish anything they set their hearts to, with a little help from a friend like Charlie.

When I first read this book in 1994, I knew right away I wanted to use it in my middle school classroom (grades 7 & 8). Helen Thayer is exactly the kind of role model you want to present to children. She embodies all the character traits you want your students to emulate, among them perserverance, positive thinking, and courage. The thrilling story she tells of her encounters with polar bears, breaking ice, and a life-threatening Arctic storm will capture your students' attention immediately and will provide you with endless interdisciplinary activities. It's also a lot fun to watch your students' faces fall when you first tell them they will be reading a story about a 50-year-old woman who circumnavigates the magnetic north pole (oh, goody!), and then listen to their protests when the period ends each day and they want to keep reading! Now THAT'S a good book!

I have had the honor of meeting Helen Thayer and wonderful Charlie. I really felt as though I had taken every step with her....without freezing to death. There have been others who attempted the same journey and did not succeed due to the polar bear scare. I have given this book, as a gift, to almost everyone I know. Could I have gotten past the fear? I don't think so. She allowed me to mentally accompany her and I thank her for that.