Togo

Togo

by Robert J. Blake

• For Grades 1-5
• Around the World in 80 Books: A Multicultural Guide
• Buy this book!

Discussion and Activities

For pre-reading ideas and background information on multiculturalism, see Around the World in 80 Books: A Multicultural Guide.

Using a map of Alaska and the table below, have students chart the 1925 Serum Run, carrying the diphtheria antitoxin from Anchorage to Nome in a dogsled relay race. Note the names of the mushers on each leg of the trip.

Point out that while Kaasen's lead dog, Balto, was memorialized for his achievement, Togo had braved merciless cold and traveled a total of more than 350 miles, far more than any other sled dog, on this life-saving journey. Ask if this lack of recognition makes Togo less of a hero. Share the story of Akiak, another dog who has run the Iditarod. Discuss what Robert Blake means in his Epilogue when he writes, "...the hero is not always the dog who crosses the finish line first, but, as in this case, the dog who made the last lap even possible."

In commemoration of the intrepid men and the hard-driving dogs in the 1925 Serum Run, the Iditarod (The Last Great Race) is run annually from Anchorage to Nome. Dog teams of 12 to 16 dogs and their mushers cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days. Even though there is team competition, this race is less about winning and more about survival, and is not officially over until the Red Lantern, the very last team, makes it to Nome. Have students role-play journalists covering this event to write an article for The Tundra Times, a local Alaskan newspaper.