WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle & Jason Chin
ABOUT THE BOOK
All living things must one day die, and Earth’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond.
Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin’s astonishing artwork enriches and amplifies engaging, well-researched text by Bill Nye the Science Guy writer Lynn Brunelle. Young lovers of the macabre will relish each page of Life After Whale . Meanwhile, those grappling with the hard subject of death will take solace in this honest look at the circle of life, which closes on a young whale enjoying the same waves as her ancestor. Additional back pages offer further info and reading recommendations on whales, whale falls, and ecosystems.
REVIEW
Gorgeous illustrations highlight the remarkable process that breaks down the enormous remains of a blue whale. The fascinating information included in this nonfiction picture book makes this a great read not only in science class but for students who are curious about animals and the natural world. The comparisons made between the whale and other living and nonliving objects are especially astute and will help children (and adults) trying to understand just how big a blue whale is, in the pages of a book. Facts such as ear wax indicating age and a heart the size of a golf cart stand out in the superb presentation. Chin's illustrations include full two-page spreads as well as small illustrations showing things such as maps and diagrams. The amount of text makes it impractical for a one-time story time read aloud but amazing discussions could be had if the proper amount of time were devoted to sharing it. The detail in both the text and illustrations is stunning as well as fascinating. The additional information found in the back matter makes the book all the more valuable as a resource. I appreciated the way that vocabulary was integrated into the text and highlighted in bold. Resources and a selected bibliography are included in the back matter also. A stunningly informative and beautiful book from beginning to end. Highly recommended.
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