U2W1 An Arctic Life for Us

An Arctic Life for Us

CHAPTER 1 Hot and Cold Marcos was tired of being hot. The summer days had been very long and very, very sunny. The temperature had climbed to over 100 degrees many times. Today was another hot one.

“ Mom, " Marcos said as he walked into the kitchen, “ I'm hot. Can we go to the library? It's always nice and cool inside, and I want to read about cold places. Maybe that will help me cool off. " “ Sure, ” Mom said. “ The library sounds like a good place to be this afternoon. We can go in just a few minutes. "

Soon, Marcos and Mom walked through the doors of the library. Marcos smiled as the cool air hit his skin, and he blinked as his eyes got used to the dimmer light. That's much better, he thought. In the pleasant silence, Marcos searched for books about cold places. He found three books about the Arctic Circle and plopped down on a beanbag chair to look at the covers. On the first cover, polar bears walked over huge chunks of ice. That looks nice, Marcos thought.

He opened the book and read about the polar bears. Their thick, white fur helped keep them warm even in the icy water. The white color of their fur helped hide them in the white snow and ice. In the next book, Marcos read about seals. They had a thick layer of fat to help them stay warm. Their sleek coats helped them slip through the water and across the ice. That looks like fun, Marcos thought as he imagined the freedom of swimming and splashing in the chilly water.