Whales

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Reviewed with Martin Schwabacher's Elephants. Gr. 4-6. Weighing 300 pounds and more than three tons respectively when they are born, elephants and whales can be intimidating, but these books, in the Animals Animals series use colorful photographs and interesting text to make their subjects seem more approachable. Each volume explores habitat, members, behavior, and mating habits, and also takes a look at the animal's future. Simple graphics and well-designed tables are used to convey more complex information--for example, details about environment and migration habits. Books in the series will appeal to animal lovers in general, as well as children focused on finding specific information about a subject. A glossary and links to print and Internet sites are appended. Other volumes are cited in the Series Roundup in this issue. Heather Hepler
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Whales are amazing, as this book amply demonstrates. Every page reveals another eye-opening fact. "Whales are the largest creatures ever to live on Earth. They have the biggest brains....They are the longest, heaviest, loudest, farthest-swimming, deepest-diving animals in the world. They also eat more and grow faster than any other creatures on Earth." Wow! And they become more fascinating after the first two pages. Although it is commonly known that whales are mammals, cetaceans, the author explains how they evolved from landlubbers to sea dwellers. He discusses how whales have adapted to their environment, including how they breathe and move around. Readers learn that they are divided into baleen and toothed whales, each having different foods and feeding habits. We learn about their migration and life cycle and get to see some of the better-known types "up close and personal." Whales are endangered, decimated by human predators who have slaughtered and continue to slaughter huge numbers and are threatened by increasing pollution. Hunting bans honored by most countries, however, have allowed most whale species to slowly increase. The author's facility and clarity of expression are complemented by the book's colorful photographs, tables, and other graphic devices. A glossary and "species index" are very helpful as is the index, although its second page was missing in this copy. This small detail doesn't affect the book's excellence. It is part of "AnimalWays," a series that seems designed to make every reader an animal advocate. 2003, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, Butts


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