Review of Whale of Wonder
Posted: 12 Sep 2021, 12:16
[Following is a volunteer review of "Whale of Wonder" by Marie-Paule Mahoney.]
Whale of Wonder by Marie-Paule Mahoney tells the true-life story of an orca whale named Tahlequah.
Mama Tahlequah and her group of members are swimming through the ocean waters when her son, Notch asks her why another group of whales cannot understand his clicks and whistles. She explains to him that there are many different pods and they all have their own special sounds to communicate. This interaction leads to them reminiscing about the time they swam very far to lay his baby sister to rest when she passed away shortly after she was born. She continues to tell him why they did this and teaches him about the ways of the orca.
Mahoney brings special attention to the plight of the killer whale that is dwindling in numbers and quickly heading toward extinction. The only way to help them is by changing the way humans treat the ocean. Oil spills, pollution, overfishing, and a general lack of interest in the preservation of our oceans are destroying their chances of survival. By bringing the story to the attention of younger readers, she is appealing to our younger generation to make a difference. In this way, young and old will be made aware, because generally, an adult will read the story to a child. This generational cross will spread the word and hopefully make the difference that is needed to save these special creatures.
The story is told in a conversation between the mother and the son in a simplistic format, making it easy to read to children, as well as by children. The illustrations are magnificent and each one beautifully matches the portion of the story it is paired with. At the end of the story, the author tells the real story of the whales and her reason for writing the book. It provides a teaching opportunity for anyone willing to read it.
There is nothing to dislike about his book. It is written in the form of a children’s story, so it does not contain any profanity or explicit content. I would recommend it to readers of all ages, but especially to readers interested in learning about sea life and what they can do to help prevent the extinction of the orcas.
I could only find a single error in the text, leading me to believe this book was professionally edited. I enjoyed both the fictional children’s tale and the non-fictional tale about the orcas and I feel that this book deserves a solid rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I look forward to reading more work by this author.
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Whale of Wonder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Whale of Wonder by Marie-Paule Mahoney tells the true-life story of an orca whale named Tahlequah.
Mama Tahlequah and her group of members are swimming through the ocean waters when her son, Notch asks her why another group of whales cannot understand his clicks and whistles. She explains to him that there are many different pods and they all have their own special sounds to communicate. This interaction leads to them reminiscing about the time they swam very far to lay his baby sister to rest when she passed away shortly after she was born. She continues to tell him why they did this and teaches him about the ways of the orca.
Mahoney brings special attention to the plight of the killer whale that is dwindling in numbers and quickly heading toward extinction. The only way to help them is by changing the way humans treat the ocean. Oil spills, pollution, overfishing, and a general lack of interest in the preservation of our oceans are destroying their chances of survival. By bringing the story to the attention of younger readers, she is appealing to our younger generation to make a difference. In this way, young and old will be made aware, because generally, an adult will read the story to a child. This generational cross will spread the word and hopefully make the difference that is needed to save these special creatures.
The story is told in a conversation between the mother and the son in a simplistic format, making it easy to read to children, as well as by children. The illustrations are magnificent and each one beautifully matches the portion of the story it is paired with. At the end of the story, the author tells the real story of the whales and her reason for writing the book. It provides a teaching opportunity for anyone willing to read it.
There is nothing to dislike about his book. It is written in the form of a children’s story, so it does not contain any profanity or explicit content. I would recommend it to readers of all ages, but especially to readers interested in learning about sea life and what they can do to help prevent the extinction of the orcas.
I could only find a single error in the text, leading me to believe this book was professionally edited. I enjoyed both the fictional children’s tale and the non-fictional tale about the orcas and I feel that this book deserves a solid rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I look forward to reading more work by this author.
******
Whale of Wonder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon