Penguins waddle in their irresistibly happy way. A walrus lumbers across the snowy landscape. There's a polar bear with her lively cubs. A beluga whale, breaching. A team of sled dogs sprinting directly at the viewer. And the miracle of the Northern Lights, shimmering like a silk rainbow through the star-filled night.

National Geographic writer Carol Kaufmann brings the reader along on a voyage to the North and South Poles, and writes a lively and informative essay for each image, including vital statistics for each animal, such as their size, range, habitat, and more.