Reading Activities for "The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto"

The story of Balto is a true story about a Siberian Husky who helped save the lives of Inuit children.

The story of an itinerant Siberian Husky who led a team of snow dogs from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska is captured in the level three children's book titled "The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto," written in 1989 by Natalie Standiford, illustrated by Donald Cook and published by Random House. The story chronicles the tale of a sled-dog team that was driven nearly 1,000 miles to get an antitoxin to children diagnosed with diphtheria, a serious disease. Allowing students to read the book and then conducting attendant learning activities, parents and teachers can bring Balto alive for a new generation of children.

Cyberhunts

The snow caused trouble for truckers and others bringing supplies across Alaska so sled dogs were used to cross the tricky terrain.

Cyberhunts are instructions to students to find specific points of information. Begin by giving your students a set of facts about diseases, transportation and weather conditions in 1920s in Alaska. Some of the words they can use to put in search engines are diptheria, scrub dog, sled dog, Iditarod and Inuit. Ask the students to enter these words into a search engine. After reading facts about what life was like during that time and how these dogs saved the lives of children, the students can write essays, create power-point presentations or videos about their findings.

Reading Together

Balto was considered a "scrub dog," an inferior dog from whom nobody expected much.

For an active and interactive reading session, read the story of Balto to the class in increments. Begin by pointing out the cover of the book. Ask the students to describe the cover. Ask: Who is Balto? Why is the man in the sled dressed the way he is? What is in the background? What do the mountains in the background indicate? Are there other dogs? Discuss all of the answers. Discuss the vocabulary words, including Inuit, diphtheria, sub-zero, frontier and miners. Select words from the book with which the children may be unfamiliar and write them on the board. Read the book and instruct the children to listen for those words.

Extension Activities

Siberian Huskies served in the Army's Arctic Search and Rescue Unit during World War II.

Separate the class into teams of four members each. Have the desks arranged in blocks of four so that the children are facing one another. Give each team a sheet of butcher paper. Team one is to draw a picture of the Alaskan terrain; instruct team two to draw a picture of a sled-dog team; have team three draw a picture of two sick children; and team four should depict the sled-dog team arriving in Nome with the medicine. If there are more teams, assign more events. Once the storyboards are drawn, each team should get up in front of the class and present their drawings of their aspect of the story.

Siberian Huskies

Reading dog programs are sweeping the country. Stories abound of friendly, gentle dogs allowing children to read to them in schools, libraries and clubhouses. Reading dogs allow children to read in a non-judgmental setting. Contact your local humane society or Siberian husky rescue organization to see if such a dog is available for your classroom. Alternatively, as a class project, have the students organize a bake sale, take up a penny collection or arrange another fund raiser for your local Siberian husky rescue organization. Have a speaker from the Siberian husky rescue or a husky breeder come to your classroom and educate your students on this fascinating and often misunderstood breed.

References

• American Kennel Club: Breeds, Siberian Husky
• Siberian Husky Rescue: Balto

Resources

• Siberian Rescue