Dive Into These Splashy Reads for World Whale Day!
Oh my POD, it’s World Whale Day!
Who doesn’t love whales? I mean, they’re incredible, right!? Swimming giant mammals? Come on, already! So cool.
So, without further ado, here are some super-splashy book suggestions to help you celebrate this awesome holiday. (As always, books I’ve personally read and recommend are highlighted with an *.)
Books for Littles
*The Heart of a Whale by Anna Pignataro
[Super sweet and lyrical. A perfect bedtime book.]
Whale's beautiful song winds its way through the ocean, reaching the farthest of faraways. His song is one of happiness and hope, magic and wonder—and Whale's fellow sea creatures are calmed, cheered, and lulled by it.
Welcome Home, Whales by Christina Booth
In a quiet harbor, a young child hears the moving song of a whale, and he is filled with hope as she introduces her new calf to the world.
*If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
[This one has such a gentle humor that is hard to get just right. My kiddos and I all loved it!]
A sweet, quiet book about what to do—and what not to do—when trying to spot a whale.
*To the Sea by Cale Atkinson
[Oh, how I love this book! This is a personal family favorite—I still get choked up every time I read it.]
Sometimes Tim feels invisible. But when Tim meets Sam, a whale who needs to find his way home, Tim thinks he may finally have met a friend who truly understands him.
*Amos & Boris by William Steig
[Another Steig classic! A great story, well told.]
When Boris the whale needs help, his friend Amos vows to rescue him—even if Amos is only a tiny mouse.
*Breathe by Scott Magoon
[A lovely, meditative bedtime book]
A young whale sets out to swim, explore, and make friends, during his first day on his own in the big wide ocean.
*Pipaluk and the Whales by John Himmelman
[An interesting story, and a gorgeous setting.]
In the Russian Arctic, a young Chukchi girl named Pipaluk discovers thousands of beluga whales trapped in an ice channel, and she and her fellow villagers must use all their cunning to set them free. Inspired by real-life events.
*Whale Snow by Debby Dahl Edwardson, illustrated by Annie Patterson
[Fabulous, evocative illustrations, and a beautiful family-centric story.]
As his family prepares to celebrate the traditional Iñupiaq whaling feast, Amiqqaq learns about the spirit-of-the-whale.
Trapped in Ice!: An Amazing True Whaling Adventure by Martin W. Sandler
In the late summer of 1871, thirty-two whaling ships—carrying 1,219 officers, crewmen, women, and children—traveled through the frigid Arctic waters in search of the prized bowhead whale. But when a succession of icy storms ensued, the ships' captains realized that they were, literally, trapped in ice. What followed was a desperate race against certain death. A true story.
The Secret Life of Whales by Rena Ortega
This beautifully drawn children's nonfiction book shares some of the most incredible and thrilling truths about the many different kinds of whales, from where they migrate to how they care for their young.
The Tale of the Whale by Karen Swann, illustrated by Padmacandra
A child joins a friendly whale for a magical journey of discovery, dancing with dolphins, and tail-splashing with seagulls. But the child also sees an ocean filled with plastic trash—and that inspires a promise of help, for the whale and all earth's creatures.
Whale Fall Café by Jacquie Sewell, illustrated by Dan Tavis
When a whale carcass lands on the deep ocean floor, a café opens for business, and the diners don't stop rooting their way through the menu until the cupboards are bare. Hagfish, zombie worms, sleeper sharks—this group of patrons is stranger than the denizens of the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars.
Books for Middles
When Whales Walked: And Other Incredible Evolutionary Journeys by Dougal Dixon, illustrated by Hannah Bailey
Step back in time and discover a world where whales once walked, crocodiles were warm-blooded, and snakes had legs. Learn how whales once walked on four legs before taking to the oceans, how dinosaurs evolved into birds, and how the first cats were small and lived in trees.
High and Dry by Eric Walters, illustrated by Sabrina Gendron
When a young orca gets itself stuck on some rocks during a storm, Dylan and his grandfather must race against the sun and the heat to save the calf.
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
When Iris learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, she understands how he must feel. As the only deaf kid in her school, she often struggles to connect. So when Iris comes up with a grand plan to sing her own invented song to Blue 55, nothing will stop her—even if there’s three thousand miles between them.
Dear Professor Whale by Megumi Iwasa, illustrated by Jun Takabatake
Now that Professor Whale has retired, he writes many letters to "You, Whoever You Are, Who Lives on the Other Side of the Horizon". Still, Whale longs for a special friend, who might call him by a friendly sort of name.
A Whale in Paris: How It Happened That Chantal Duprey Befriended a Whale During the Second World War and Helped Liberate France by Daniel Presley and Claire Polders
During the German occupation of Paris, twelve-year-old Chantal spies a whale in the Seine and is determined to return it to the ocean before the Nazis or starving Parisians can destroy it.
Whales on Stilts! by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
A madman has unleashed an army of stilt-walking, laser-beaming, thoroughly angry whales upon the world! Luckily, Jasper Dash and his friends are around to save the day.
*Who Would Win?: Whale Vs. Giant Squid by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster
[Oh man, I think we’ve read every single “Who Would Win” book in my house. The kiddos loooooove them! This one does not disappoint.]
What would happen if a whale and a giant squid met each other? What if they had a fight? Who do you think would win?
The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook
Razi is watching turtle eggs hatch when he discovers Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too. And so begins an exhilarating adventure in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all . . .
Books for Tweens & Teens
Secrets of the Whales by Brian Skerry
This provocative book of photography offers bold new insight into the lives of the world's largest mammals, along with their complex societies.
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
T.J. Jones hates the blatant preferential treatment jocks receive at his high school. So T.J. recruits some of the biggest misfits at Cutter High to form a swim team. They may not have very much talent, but these new friends might learn that the journey is worth more than the reward.
Books for Grown-Ups
Whale Snow: Iñupiat, Climate Change, and Multispecies Resilience in Arctic Alaska by Chie Sakakibara
In the Arctic, climate, culture, and human resilience are connected through bowhead whaling. Whale Snow delves into the way that climate change disrupts this ancient practice and, in the process, affects a vital expression of Indigenous sovereignty.
War of the Whales: A True Story by Joshua Horwitz
A crusading attorney stumbles on one of the US Navy's best-kept secrets: a submarine detection system that floods entire ocean basins with high-intensity sound—and drives whales onto beaches.
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale. So, desperate to save her starving family, Omat journeys across the icy wastes, setting in motion a conflict that will either shatter her world . . . or save it.
What are your favorite whale books?
Happy reading!
♥ Lisa
