Big Blue Whale

Now in Big Book format, Big Blue Whale brings feelings about these huge and wonderful creatures into the picture as well as what we need to know. This title translates well in big book form -- different levels of print, inspirational illustrations and a well written text. There is an attempt to make the dimensions of this largest creature the earth has ever known -- 'heavier than 25 elephants or 115 giraffes' -- imaginable by young learners. Its eye is 'as big as a teacup and as dark as the deep sea'. All the senses are appealed to in making the creature real for the children -- its skin is 'springy and smooth as a hard boiled egg', its breath is 'stale and fishy' and when it breathes out 'you can hear it, too -- a great prooouff'. I remember the many questions asked by a class of five-year-olds learning about Sea Creatures, including those about the whale's young. This book answers these sort of questions, for example it brings to life the maternal behaviour of the creatures as well as details about their structure and the function of the skin, blow-hole and baleen plates. It also creates the sea environment powerfully -- in a wealth of blues and greens sweeping across the double spreads. The ethical dimension is addressed at the beginning. In spite of the hunting ban now imposed --- after too many whales were killed for their meat and blubber -- the number of whales is growing only very slowly. As one of the children in the project mentioned above remarked --- 'You could not kill a whale if you looked at its face'. In Big Book format, Big Blue Whale offers an opportunity for children to share and talk about the much more than superficial information this book provides via its superb pictures and clear, exciting text. For those who wish for Literacy Hour suggestions there is advice on the back cover.