Mission: Arctic

About the book

Join the largest Arctic expedition ever undertaken – and discover the secrets hidden deep in the ice that reveal how one of the world's crucial ecosystems is changing. This illustrated science-based guide follows the 2019 MOSAiC expedition, where more than five hundred scientists from all over the world sailed aboard the Polarstern, a powerful ice-breaker research vessel. Their mission? To let their vessel freeze in the sea ice and drift towards the North Pole in order to study how the Arctic is changing, and how these changes will affect our world. Told first-hand by one of the scientists on board, this incredible account of the mission is packed with expedition photographs, diagrams, illustrations, fascinating facts and details of the researchers’ important discoveries.

ISBN: 9781771649568

What did the judges think?

Judge and science communicator Dr Emily Grossman said: “Few books for children capture the urgency of the climate crisis, whilst still giving young people hope about their future as well as Mission: Arctic. Readers are taken aboard the biggest Arctic expedition of all time and join the crew as they discover the secrets of our changing world that are hidden within the ice. It’s a brilliant book for budding adventurers and empowers children to make small changes to help tackle climate change.”

About the author and illustrator

Katharina Weiss-Tuider writes about the environment, climate, food and agriculture. She accompanied the MOSAiC Expedition as communications manager at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. The protection of the Arctic has become especially important to her ever since she saw her first polar bear in the wild. She lives in Berlin.

Christian Schneider studied illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. He loves nature in all its facets, which he captures on paper with coloured pencil. He especially enjoys glimpses of the foxes who live in his neighborhood in Berlin – a touch of wilderness in the urban jungle.