Tierra Nuestro Mundo/Earth Our World Book

Libby Riddles is the first woman to win the Iditarod sled dog race in 1985. This is her race autobiography. Thru her retelling of the tale, readers learn about the race, the dogs, the weather, and all the little hardships that go along with the Iditarod trail. From an old washing machine in the middle of the trail, moose carcasses, negative 52 degree weather, broken sleds, doggy frostbite, dogs in heat, and even bootie piracy(I mean dog booties), Libby experiences a lot of bad luck and not only lives to tell, but crosses the finish line first, two and a half hours before anyone else.

It was actually her braving a nasty storm and the Northern Winds that got her ahead. She was the only one to dare it and it worked. Wow. Pretty amazing. Libby gives most of the credit to her dogs tho. I really liked learning about the dogs and their different personalities and how she determined who goes where in the line up.

It fails to hit the five star mark due to layout issues more than writing. It is done in a "newspaper" column like format and most of the time, half the page (the inner column) is a complete blank. It makes the book appear twice as long as it is. I wouldn't have minded so much if they had filled in the blank spaces with pictures. Preferrably dog pictures or the pictures that Libby says she took. (Where are the waterfall pictures???)

Nevertheless, a fun and educational read. Gee (Right) on, Libby!