To the Top of the World

Jim Brandenburg’s Photography

Directions: Choose one of the following activities to complete.

• Jim Brandenburg’s photography is one of the most beautiful aspects of this book. You can learn more about Jim and see more of his photographs by visiting this website:

http://www.jimbrandenburg.com/home.html

After viewing the website, write a description of Jim’s life and his photography.

• Jim Brandenburg did not include a picture from the airport. Using the description in the text, draw a picture of the scene at the airport. Write the caption that would go under the picture.

• Write a fictional story based on the photographs. Study the photographs in To the Top of the World, and think about how they might illustrate a story for young children about a wolf family. Write a wolf family story and share it.

• When writing captions for photographs it is necessary to limit the amount of text you use to provide information and detail. Select one of Jim Brandenburg’s photographs and create a descriptive paragraph to go with the photo. Be sure to include colorful and interesting language in your work.

• Jim Brandenburg shared his feelings about taking some of his photos. (Pages 2,

7-8, 19-20, 38-39) Take your own photograph of an animal, person, nature scene, or building. Write an essay or poem describing how you felt taking the picture, what you were trying to achieve, and what your final picture shows.