"Bodies From the Ice" by James M. Deem

Winner of this year’s Sibert Award for Best Informational Book, this one got a “cool” from a teenage boy (a sure sign of success). With clearly stated text that is age appropriate yet not challenging, this book covers the impact of global warming. In a nutshell, the glaciers are melting, so we are finding…bodies. It’s a unique look into our history as bodies are freed from their well-preserved status in glacial ice. Mummified corpses from a hundred years ago and many hundreds of years ago are being found and giving us real insight into everything from diets of humans past to the religious customs of cultures long gone. Illustrated with a “goodly” amount of photos and diagrams, this book is almost as much of a pleasure to scan as it is to read. Those interested in science or history will be intrigued, and even light-footers like me (I uttered at least one out loud “UGH”) can appreciate the silver lining being afforded to those who wish to understand humanity a little better. Similar to Loree Griffin Burns’ “Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion” this book gives a fascinating look at sociology by examining what we leave behind.