Reviews (3)

Reading Rainbow
I first saw this book on Reading Rainbow, one of my favorite PBS shows as a kid. The story fascinated me, and I'm glad I was able to get my hands on a copy. It's about a whale who can't seem to stay with his family (which all kids can identify with at one time or another), and how the community helps him find them again.

The best whale "true story."
The kind of book you think of when you're looking for a good whale story. Lots of personality and drama, and a super read-aloud for kids even as young as 4. Another fun whale story is The Whale Comedian, which is more humorous and whimsical, but, like Humphrey, shows what kids like most: how we can be friends with these exciting sea creatures.

Awesome Book!!!
The kids I used to babysit used to demand that I read this one incessantly. Very well-written, well-illustrated and cute. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect science and read-aloud book.
A wonderfully succinct overview of the blue whale and it's habits.

The clear, sweet prose makes delivery of the content easy, and the very fine, soft illustrations demand repeated veiwing. My Preschool and Kindergarten ESL students found it highly engaging.

If there's a better science and read-aloud book around I'd really like to know about it. TEN stars.

Follow this book up with the superb "Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?" by Robert E. Wells. Wells' book uses the whales' size as a starting point for exploring the size of the universe and other very big things (the second step involves putting a hundred blue whales in a really big jar). Read my review of Wells' book if you like.

ONE OF THE BEST WHALE BOOKS AVAILABLE!
I'm a whale researcher who has spent much of the last 12 years studying blue whales in the North Pacific. I'm also a mom who loves children's literature. Rarely do I see a book that is so accurate factually while it is captivating and magical! The illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend it to anyone who has children who are facinated by whales. ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. "The song about this small white whale has as its hero

the best loved of Raffi's creations. Children will get a first, cheerful lesson

about the natural world by becoming acquainted with enchanting Baby Beluga. The

illustrations are a joy, and the song's rhythm and rhyme make it easy to

remember and sing."--School Library Journal




... Read more

Reviews (14)

Make the song come to life with pictures
My sons love Raffi music and videos. We have checked out all of his "song" books at the library so I decided to buy a few of them for our own use. My guys grab the books when they hear the song and like me to turn the pages with the music. My only complaint is that the library editions had the music and words at the back, whereas the board books do not, so if you can carry a tune but haven't heard the song, you won't know the rhythm of the music. But these books are still great for reading, even if you don't know the tune. And if you have Raffi music in the car, include this book for the back seat passengers to "read" while the music is playing.

Baby Beluga has delightful illustrations of "sea creatures" (whales, penguins, etc) as well as making the song personal by including a young eskimo child in the book. Most children are fans of whales, seals and the like anyways, but parents should enjoy reading this book to their children. It's easy to read, with clear, large print and simple pictures. Great for the toddler age to read or sing along and the short enough for the under 18 months crowd. And while the animals are not labeled, it would be perfect for a before and after book if you take young children to an aquarium or zoo.

Delightful book, but combined with music, its IRRESISTIBLE!
"Baby Beluga" tells the story of a little Beluga Whales daily adventures in the "deep blue sea." The beautiful illustrations and charming story captured my attention instantly. Not familiar with Raffi, and his music, I was unaware of the popularity of the song, by the same title, until noticing the back cover, where it is mentioned. I have since purchased the CD, and CAN NO LONGER read this book; I have to SING it! "Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea, swim so wild and you swim so free. Heaven above and the sea below, and a little white whale on the go."

The editorial comments regarding Ashley Wolff's illustrations are harsh. As an artist, I regard the work to be first-rate! The mostly analogous color palette (ocean blues and greens) is bright and true to life, while the expressions are communicative and warm. Perhaps, a little more contrast between the Beluga Whales and the sea is in order, but that is a personal preference. Besides, compared to ANY of the severely cold computer-generated images available in books today, the illustrations in this book are superior. "Baby Beluga" is a delightful book independently, although, combined with the music; it is IRRESISTIBLE! One-year and up.

Awesome children's book
This book is soooooooo.... cute. My daughter loved it! This has become one of her favorite animals.... A MUST HAVE BOOK FOR EVERY CHILDS LIBRARY. Also in the back of the book are the words and music notes. A great children's book, beautiful pictures, and simple to read.

We love baby beluga
My daughter loves this book. Loves the variety of sea animals and the like. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what the animal is with the unicorn horn sticking out of its head. ...

The only thing missing is the music!
My two year old daughter LOVES this book/song. My only complaint is that in this book, the music isn't included at the end (Raffi's "Wheels on the Bus" song to read has the sheet music included on the last page). Without also owning the "Baby Beluga" Raffi CD, we wouldn't know the tune. Other than that, it's great. ... Read more

Book Description

‘The title epitomizes Esbensen’s creative presentation of an important concept: how whales differ from the fish they seem to resemble and share characteristics with other mammals.… An excellent addition to the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out series.’—K. ‘Introduces a full range of information about whale anatomy, development, and behavior.… Esbensen’s simple, informative text keeps its young audience clearly in view.’—BL.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

good science book for young readers
This is yet another fine addition to a great series for young children. It contained quite a bit of information on whales, but not too much for young readers to digest. The illustrations could have been a bit more varied. ... Read more

Book Description

Listening to this lilting lullaby, young animal lovers will drift off to sleep with smiles on their faces. Miriam Schlein and Peter Sms have created an enchanting bedtime book of animals and their young. There are elephants, penguins, pandas, and kangaroos, all sleeping soundly. You can turn the pages-- or open the concertina fold-out panels to reveal the over-five-foot-long fantasy panorama. Either way it.s a delight for eyes and ears. But read softly--it.s bedtime! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

My Child's Favorite!
This book is the greatest. It folds out had has great pictures. I am going to order a second copy, since the first one is worn out from excessive use.

Sleep Safe Little Whale
We read Sleep Safe Little Whale to our son every night before bed...he is almost one year old. Our son enjoys the lilting song of Sleep Safe Little Whale and the sweet pictures of all of the different animals. It is a great length. The repetion, song like quality, endearing illustrations, and the sweetness of it make Sleep Safe our favorite book.

I MUST buy another Sleep Safe, Little Whale!
This book is absolutely charming. The words have a melodious lilt to them, and the pictures are warm and beautiful. It is good cuddle time reading and soft fun for the eyes. Its confident message makes us ALL feel safer, as though someone IS ALWAYS THERE watching over us. My granddaughter loves the one I found accidentally in a bookshop! Another granddaughter is to be born soon. I must find another one for her. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A White Whale for the Wee Ones
This marvelous summation of Melville's classic novel succeeds in conveying the essense of that great work in just 32 pages without the implicit disrespect for the original that all too often afflicts such adaptations. The language of this fine retelling evokes the rich and complex flavor of the original without rendering the story in any way unintelligible to its young audience. I was especially pleased that Drummond chose to keep Ishmael as the first-person narrator of the story; somehow, a third-person retelling would seem at odds with the intimate tone in which Ishmael shared his epic tale with the reader. The bold, colorful illustrations that illuminate this handsome volume serve as an effective enhancement to, rather than a distraction from, the meaning of the text. I suspect that more than one young reader may someday approach Melville's text with enthusiasm and not dread as a consequence of having read or heard this fine picture book in the dimly remembered past.

Well rounded but a little intense
The book has to be good to be considerd a litterary classic. Melvilles book about the obssesive Ahab, the Harpooner Quequay, the former teacher Ishimial and the White Whale is an excelent read but it may be too intense for younger readers. The hellish obssesion of Ahab may be a bit to much for some children. With all of that being said I do think that everyone at some time must read this it is a work of art. ... Read more

Book Description

A bright, colorful children's alphabet book, in which each letter is stunningly represented by an Art Wolfe photograph of an animal, plant, or place particular to the region spanning Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An attractive animal book, but a stretch as an alphabet book
This is an interesting and attractive introductory book on animals of the Northwest for young readers. However, since it's written at about 3.5 reading level, it may be too difficult for its intended audience.

Also, it's a bit of a stretch as an alphabet book, since the alphabet is merely used as a vehicle for tying the photos and text together. It works for single words like bear, coyote, deer and eagle, however most children won't relate to fir tree as an "F" word, since the noun is actually "tree." This quirk surfaces again with listings like Haida totem pole for the letter "H," Northern spotted owl for "N," and Mt. Rainier for "R." It gets stretched further when Xerophyllum tenax appears for "X," and then the child is told it's "the scientific name for bear grass."

Having said that, students love to listen this book and look at the pictures. It works well as a read-aloud and a discussion starter. I used successfully as a companion book with "Northwest Animal Babies" for first grade students in our elementary school library. This should be in every school library in the Pacific Northwest.

O is for Orca & out-of-the-ordinary!
This is the alphabet the Pacific Northwest way: A is for auklet, B for black bear, C for coyote...from Alaska thru British Columbia & Washington down to Oregon, the natural world is featured in glorious photos & simple, illustrative text. Lovely full-color, full page photos of an eagle, a Haida totem pole with a glorious stag before it, a misty enchanting view of Mount Ranier, a mountainside of Xerophyllum tenax. A wonderful way to learn our ABCs. .................

Great pictures with good text of NW animals.
Really nice pictures that kids can relate to, clear and self explanatory. Text gives a bit of information about the animals and other things mentioned. Good for young readers. Good lead into for animal study. ... Read more

Book Description

Annotated illustrations, descriptions, identification checklist,behavior, and sighting tips. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Best visual field guide out there
My title sums it up. This is the ultimate book to bring on a field trip to watch whales and dolphins. The illustrations are clear and crisp and would aid anyone (even an expert would have a need for such a book) in the identification of any species (and it covers all the known ceteceans).

User-friendly Guidebook
This Eyewitness Handbook on whales, dolphins, and porpoises was extremely valuable during my recent trip to Baja Mexico to whale watch in the Sea of Cortez. The book provides a wealth of information on each species with specific descriptions and illustrations that are right on. We had two naturalists on board and they love the book too, so it's worthwhile no matter what your level of cetacean knowledge.

Outstanding field guide
This book is extremely useful to both the general reader and to those with a serious interest in cetaceans. The book is well organized for quick reference and beautifully illustrated to aid in species identification in the field. Cetaceans are grouped by family and unique characteristics are clearly defined and illustrated. In addition the book is lightweight and easily carried on a boat trip. Highly recommended.

useful but not perfect
My main objections to this field guide were the illustrations. Artistic renderings are often beautiful, but fail to portray the animal in question with accuracy. Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius)is a case in point. Although I have not observed this animal at sea myself, I spoke with a number of fellow fishery biologists who have spent time at sea as marine mammal observers and no one has ever observed a bright yellow Ziphius in the field. All observed a base color of grey with this genus, at least in the northeastern Pacific. The Tasmacetus rendering is most likely based on the J. Mammalogy (1976) paper by Watkins wherein an unidentified ziphiid whale (probable Tasmacetus) was observed from a bluff overlooking the sea in New Zealand. Useful plates were those showing all similar cetaceans together; eg. all oceanic dolphins without prominent beaks, all oceanic dolphins WITH prominent beaks etc. The ziphidae plates show male Mesoplodon characteristics, but that is to be expected since solitary female ziphiid whales, especially Mesoplodon sp., could be virtually impossible to identify. My own field guide preferences use photographs rather than artistic renderings. Other problems: The distribution maps to not reflect the full distribution (extralimital observations/strandings) of many species. An example: Psuedorca is shown as a species with a distribution much further south than observations/stranding records indicate. The text does suggest that 'numerous records' exist outside of the more tropical distribution shown in the map. Note also that many of the dolphin renderings are positioned so that the dorsal fin is right where the pages meet. We did get a chuckle over the photograph showing what you should wear when watching whales, but that can be explained by our 'silly scientist' bias. One note for potential whale-watchers: do not allow your binocular strap to lie right on the skin of your neck while at sea as you can wear painful wounds into your neck through a day of whale-watching. Make sure your shirt collar or other clothing lies under that silly strap! Voice of experience!

The Ultimate Cetacean Field Guide!
This book clearly deserves more than five stars for the great joy it will make available to you in the future by encouraging you to do more cetacean watching.

One of my pleasures is planning and taking trips to the various whale, dolphin, and porpoise rich areas in the world. When there, I spend as much time as possible on the water enjoying the views. I was particularly delighted to see that this book opens the doors to locales that I did not know about. As a result, I now have three times as many places to visit as I thought I did. Having seen the unusual species that I have missed, I now see the world much differently. That's a great gift to receive from a field guide.

Most people are unaware of the fascinating and beautiful mammal life in the oceans and rivers (yes, some dolphins live in rivers) around them. Although I live near one of the world's best cetacean watching areas, I would estimate that fewer than five percent of the people I meet have ever gone to observe the wonderful sights that are just a few minutes offshore. This guide can help change all that.

With a heightened sense of our aquatic co-species, I think that all people will have more respect for them and interest in preserving their habitats and populations.

Many people have a chance to go boating on the ocean, and see something that interests them. What is it? How should they approach it? I hope that all ocean-going boaters will buy a copy of this book to address those questions.

This is a beautiful book to hold and behold. The drawings are luscious in their subtlety of color and shape.

As a way to identify cetaceans, I cannot imagine a handbook that could be any better. The book is filled with dozens of clues for each type from length, shape, coloration, presence of typical parasites, behavior, breathing patterns, and other physical characteristics (like the shape of the teeth or baleen, blowholes, tails, heads, etc.). With so many observational points to consider, it would be very unusual to make a mistake. So the casual cetacean watcher can quickly be able to perform like an expert.

After you have finished enjoying this wonderful book, I suggest that you plan your next trip to watch cetaceans. If possible, I suggest going to some location that you have never been to before. Even if formal party boats are not available there, you can go out in the least expensive way and rely on your handbook to guide you into a better understanding of what you are seeing.

Appreciate the natural grandeur and beauty of the cetaceans . . . always! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Beautiful, loving story, exceptional paintings.
As a homeschooling parent I read this book with my children as we were doing a unit study on sound.

Whales have a the ability to make a much higher pitched sound than the human ear can hear. It is their song, or communicating which facinates us.

This book offers magnificent and realistic paintings which will delight your eyes as well as your heart.

The grandmother tells of the whales, is it real or fantasy? All the while a great uncle so blatently informs the little girl what whales were used for in the past.

As we know, whales have much larger brains then ours- who is to say they would not sing for a kind gesture from a loving stranger?

This book has found a special place in our home library, I hope it will for you or someone you love as well.

Not my niece's favorite
First, let me say that the illustrations in this book are exquisit. The oil paintings are absolutely fabulous. However, they are a little dark and my niece seems to have a hard time relating to them at times.

The story is good, but not excellent. The relationship between the main character and her grandmother is very well drawn. However, the book wavers between real life and the dream world. At the end of the book when the whales call the main character's name, we had to answer questions about whether the girl was going to live with the whales forever because they had called her.

This is not a bad book, but a bit too disquieting to become a favorite for us.

Beatriz and Constantin's review
When we first read this book, we played the sound of the whales for our 7 year old son Constantin, so he could relate to the story and its magic. The illustrations are beautiful and very powerful. This book also presents a lovely relationship between a little girl and her grandmother, both of them dreamers and believers who disregard whoever makes fun of them and their ideas. We read this book in Spanish and liked it so much that ordered it in English.

An exquisite picture book.
"Once upon a time... the ocean was filled with whales. They were as big as the hills. They were as peaceful as the moon."

So begins Lilly's grandmother, who goes on to tell her young granddaughter about a time not all that long ago, when she was a girl herself... a time when whales still sang and danced in the ocean.

In the length of a picture story, author Dyan Sheldon has succeeded in creating a haunting, unforgettable glimpse into a future that might come to be. She makes our hearts ache for a loss we haven't realized yet. Her poetic, evocative text delivers a powerful message, yet is never preachy.

Equally powerful are the stunning oil paintings of illustrator Gary Blythe. His Lilly is so astonishingly real, one can almost feel the warmth of her cheeks, the softness of her dark curls, the breath from her lips as she sleeps open-mouthed in moonlight. Blythe is equally at home depicting a convincingly detailed and cluttered sitting room, as he is offering a lonely beach occupied only by a single sea shell.

The Whales' Song is a power house of a book for all ages - an absolute gem.

A beautiful,peaceful story.
The paintings in this book are luminous. They make the child believe there is wonder in the world. I think this book can be enjoyed by young children. My daughter is two, and she loves it. She is quite moved by the paintings. ... Read more