Building an Igloo

by Ulli Steltzer

In crisp black-and-white photographs, Ulli Steltzer documents the beauty and precision of an igloo's construction - from stacking blocks of snow to cutting a door - in this informative picture book.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Geography, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1991

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a brief introduction to the Arctic climate, black and white photos and simple step-by-step directions show and tell how to build an igloo. If I had read this as a child, I absolutely would have tried to build my own. But I guess our snow forts were easier and faster, albeit more dangerous and temporary. Kids will be intrigued by the subject matter and inspired to build their own structure even if it's only a blanket fort inside.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book! The black/white photos show authentic Inuit techniques to build an igloo!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My oldest son loves building and I thought this might be a winner for us but it somehow didn't grab our attention as much as I had hoped. For one, the photographs are quite dated and a bit grainy. For another, the text is pretty dry. I also felt like more explanation of the engineering and physics behind it was needed for children -- my son kept wondering how they could build it so strong that they could stand on top of it? That said, igloos really are pretty fascinating and he did some blueprints then tried to build one when we had our snow, so I know he connected to it on some level ;-)

[Alexis Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this book. I thought it was going to be boring because it’s about igloos but I was wrong. I never knew there was this much work into making them. This book can be used in a science lesson or in art.

[Kelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alaska

[KathyC · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a little girl growing up in Alaska, there was a cleared piece of ground beyond our land we used to play on in winter. It would fill up with snow and we were able to build snow forts, paths, entrenchments, walls and cul-de-sacs in the big empty field. When the snow got really deep, toward the end of winter, it became magical, all the things we built with snow.
So I always wanted to learn to learn how to build an authentic igloo. When I saw this book I bought it immediately. It is an excellent how-to book for that purpose. It has large black and white pictures for each step. Some readers commented about it being confusing on some of the steps, but between the pictures and the text, I didn’t have a lot of difficulty following it. I kind of knew the basics - what you were supposed to do.
Where it was really helpful was the beginning and the end. Igloos are designed and most practical in treeless expanses of wind-blown snow, which creates the right kind of snow to cut into blocks. It shows how to select the right snow. The end of the book shows how to finish it - setting the final blocks and making an entrance.
I found it interesting on its own, even if I wasn’t planning on making an igloo.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the pictures in this book were really great for showing what a real igloo might look like and how one is built. However, I thought the step-by-step overview was a little confusing, especially for young readers.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

(wanted to build an igloo out of magna tiles after reading this book)