"StorySki" trails are 1 kilometer cross-country ski loops lined with the stories of the books Polar Opposites and Polar Polka. The ski trails allow young skiers and their families to ski while reading an entire book, gliding through the magic of winter in the Methow Valley.  18 colorful story-panels usher kids along the trails for a self-guided storybook tour.

As reviewed by the good folks at Booklist, Polar Opposites is a “lively picture book starring two pen pals who are polar opposites. Alex, a big polar bear in a Hawaiian shirt, lives in the Arctic, while Zina, a tiny penguin wearing a single strand of pearls, lives in Antarctica. Complementing each other well, the simple text and colorful artwork point out a number of differences between the two animals’ qualities, habits, and preferences… Cheerful pencil, charcoal, and watercolor illustrations brim with energy… [and] nearly every page or double-page spread features another way that the two are different, setting up opportunities for children to guess the opposites. A natural for storytimes or as a lapsit with one.” And great for StorySkis!

Polar Opposites and Polar Polka will line the free ski loop at the Town Trailhead, the Ckickadee Loop up at Sun Mountain, and the flat open meadow loop at the Mazama Corral Trailhead all winter long.

Erik Brooks, is the illustrator of many books for children, including several by esteemed authors Betsy Byars, Shirley Climo, and James Cross Giblin. He is the author/illustrator of Polar Opposites, Slow Days, Fast Friends,Octavius Bloom and the House of Doom, and Children's Choices Award Winner, The Practically Perfect Pajamas. His illustrated books include Cat Diaries, Did Feming Rescue Churchill?, Boo's Surprise, Polar Polka, Dog Diaries, Boo's Dinosaur, What Are You Hungry For?,Totem Tale: A Tall Story from Alaska, and Monkey Business: Stories from Around the World, More information on Erik can be found at www.erikbrooks.com