As I looked into the gleaming blue depths of a
crevasse, I knew this was an experience I needed to share—my fascination with
this remote, little-known environment. But how to explain why a glacier is so
beautiful, so terrifying, so important—and so fragile?

Should I start in chronological order, with the
Ice Ages thousands of years ago? Or write about salmon swimming in
glacier-chilled streams? Maybe describe the turquoise blue of ancient ice? How
to recreate a glacier in words?

The flexibility of expository nonfiction seemed
to work best. First, I had to explain to young readers how complex a glacier
is, and why it’s more than a big pile of snow. But after discussing glacier
formation and structure, things were getting dull. Then I came across glaciologist
John All, who fell seventy feet into a crevasse. He managed to climb out,
despite fifteen broken bones—while filming it all on his cell phone.

This was plainly an anecdote I had to include.
But where, and how, did it fit into my piece? Using an expository writing style
meant I could feature his adventure in a sidebar, to bring life and action to the
text’s description of glacial structure.

Another chapter follows a scientist on her trek
over vast snowfields to measure glacial melt. Including Jill Pelto, another
glaciologist, introduced the overriding theme of the book—the terrifying
melting of the planet’s glaciers, and inspired the book’s title, Meltdown!

Pelto’s observations led into explanations of
how glacial melting affects salmon, and grizzly bears that feed on them, and
duica birds that nest on ice, and mountain villages that depend on meltwater,
and on and on, so many strands. Each strand connects, like the food chains that
make up an ecosystem.

Meltdown has a final section with ideas for young
activists to tackle the complex issues of climate change. Why do I call this
section “The Beginning”? Because for me, the most important part of the book is
not my text—it’s what the reader might do to help solve the greatest environmental
crisis of our century.

Glaciers are too big for any one book to
capture. But the flexibility of an expository writing style helped me unify a
few of the strands of the glacial ecosystem into a coherent whole.

As a science writer, Anita Sanchez is especially fascinated by plants and animals
that no one loves. Her books are intended to get kids excited about science and the
wonders of the natural world. She is the award-winning author of many
books on environmental science for children and adults. She is currently
working on Meltdown, coming soon from Workman Press, and Monkey
Business: The Battle Over Evolution in the Classroom, with Clarion Books.