Yukon River: An Adventure to the Gold Fields of the Klondike
Grade 5-8-- A photo-travelogue of a canoe trip during which Lourie and a friend paddled 460 miles, from Canada's Whitehorse to Dawson. Interspersed with the first-person narrative are facts and archival photographs of the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. That mixture of current and historical information is sometimes confusing, especially because of the inclusion of the black-and-white photographs with little or no explanation in the accompanying text. The descriptions are laced with the author's expectations and predictions of what the pair would encounter. The title is somewhat misleading in that the two navigate only a small portion of the Yukon, which begins on the edge of Alaska near the Bering Sea. Even more misleading is when returning salmon are labeled ``she'' when, in fact, both sexes migrate back to their birth rivers. These are quibbles however. The excellent photographs and commentary are a useful accompaniment to studies of Jack London (Who doesn't want to see Lake Laberge?) or the gold rush. A lovely vacation reminiscence that also can also serve as a resource in classrooms and as an inspiration to young adventurers. --Mollie Bynum, Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AKCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.