The foreword for Balto and the Great Race describes the power and intrigue of the real-life statue dedicated to Balto, the story’s hero, in Central Park, Manhattan. Balto was a Siberian husky who lived in Nome, Alaska, in 1925. The statue exudes confidence, bravery, and strength, and gathers the attention of all those who pass it. A pencil illustration shows the mighty statue of Balto standing in the park with many children surrounding it and proudly looking on. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel presents several questions to the reader, urging them to consider who Balto is, why he has a statue in his honor, and what the words “ENDURANCE—FIDELITY—INTELLIGENCE” (2), written on his plaque, might mean.

Nome, Alaska is isolated from the rest of Alaska and the world, lying on the far western edge of the state. It was developed in 1899 as a frontier town for mining gold, and was largely abandoned after the Gold Rush, aside from a few people. Alaska was an American territory at the time, becoming a state in 1959 and is large and sparsely populated, making it the perfect place for huskies like Balto. In 1925, dog sledding was a common method of transporting goods and entertainment, with mushers taking teams of dogs across the state on difficult terrain and through treacherous weather.