Sled Dogs Run - Tapa dura

Whoosh! We take off, our sled nearly flying off the ground. Skookum and Hawk and Bamboo strain and huff, and we're running, racing over the soft white snow.
My sled dogs have been waiting for this day since they were puppies, and I have, too. Only the shusshh of the runners and the jingling of the collars and snaps disturb the quiet-- until we meet a moose. I have to steer my dogs away from the danger, and their instincts have to lead me when I can't see. Mushing can be dangerous, but there is nothing like the freedom and speed and peace that come from joining my sled dogs on a run.

Jonathan London's lyrical text and Jon Van Zyle's gorgeous landscapes portray the magic and beauty of a young girl's first solo run as a musher.

Jonathan London is the well-respected author of over seventy-books for children. He and Jon Van Zyle previously collaborated on four books, including The Eyes of Gray Wolf, which earned a starred review in Booklist, was named an ABC Children's Choice, and was an ABA "Pick of the Lists."

Jonathan loves hiking, kayaking, and going to "wild, snowy places." He lives in Graton, California, with his family and two big dogs.

In addition to being a noted children's book illustrator, Jon Van Zyle is the official artist of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. He has twice participated in the 1,049-mile run, and he was recently inducted into the Iditarod Hall of Fame.

The Alaskan landscape inspires his work, which includes his beautiful illustrations in Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights, chosen for the 2004-2005 Texas Bluebonnet Master List and named as a Selector's Choice among the 2004 CBC-NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children.

Jon lives with his wife, Jona, and their twenty Siberian huskies in Eagle River, Alaska.