Marine Life Books

David Lucas' WHALE tells of a giant whale that washes up on shore - on top of Joe's town. The Mayor declares the town ruined, while the sad whale laments that he's only destined for Fish Pie now - but Joe's determined to save both the town AND the whale in this inviting story.

This simple children's book will bring you to tears. The young artist learns from his dying friend a killer whale how an artist must bring life into his carving. This is lovely book about art, and on being open to freeing up the artist inside the child. As both a carver and a teacher I love this book.

I enjoyed "The whale family book", because it kept me interested in the different aspects of a whale's life. It also gave me insight into a world that is different from mine.
The author, Cynthia D'Vincent traveled in her boat "Varua", to follow these magnificent creatures (whales), to learn more about them. She learned that humpback whales are smarter than we give them credit for. She saw with her own eyes that whales that whales have developed many different techniques for feeding. One of the Humpback's most ingenious feeding techniques is the bubble net. The whale will be underneath their prey, when all of the sudden they will blow a large bubble net, which is a large amount of bubbles that traps the prey in the bubbles, and then the whale will burst through the surface of the water and while the prey is surrounded by the bubbles the whales devour their prey. The whales travel in groups back and forth between the cold seas of Alaska, to the warm breezy waters of the Hawaiian Islands, every year during their migration period. On the way back from their birthing grounds the school of whales separate into groups of three, a male (bull), a female (cow), and a baby (calf). The male protects the baby and its mother. The males will fight to escort the baby and its mother back to their home.
Some people didn't know that they were killing whales everyday. They use their blubber for oil, which is a good fuel for oil lamps, great lubrication for instruments, and a fine base for creating cosmetics.
The whale family book was very informative, and kept me interested the entire time that I was reading the book. I would definitely recommend this book to all of my friends. I am sure that it would interest them the same way that it interested me. I believe that kids in at high school level should read this book.

Whale strandings are, unfortunately, a very real problem. In 2002 alone, the Cape Cod Stranding Network responded to 296 strandings, including one mass stranding. So what, exactly, causes whales to become stranded on the beach?

Scientists and marine biologists have no clear-cut answers, but they have several theories. Hearing damage, confusing geography, magnetic attractions, illness and injury, toxins, and instinctual whale behavior all seem to play a part in causing whales to strand. Whales, by nature, are pod mammals, and their very reluctance to leave an injured or sick member of their pod very often leads to mass strandings. Fishing nets and the hunting of whales also seems to play a part in confusing these gentle creatures.

There are several agencies throughout the United States -- and the world -- who work diligently to rescue those stranded whales who wash up on shore alive. For those who are already dead, or who die quickly after being stranded, necropsies (autopsies on animals) are performed to determine not only the cause of death, but to help in prevention of further strandings in the future.

THE WHALE SCIENTISTS is an informative look at a widespread problem that is perfect for either a classroom library or those who are looking for an in-depth look at whale strandings.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Geoff Taylor expresses in bold illustrative and narative dialog the study and interaction with the whale shark. Expressing the experience scientists have encountered from the 1800's to the present is most informative and enjoyable. Not only a great research publication but also, should be added to any collection of illustrative wildlife coffee table books.

I loved reading this story with my step-son. It has an exciting plot and an imaginative and creative story line. All children will be captivated by the adventures the children in the story encounter. The underwater world Eisenman has created is magical and beautiful, yet dangerous and challenging. This is truly a wonderful read for any child or adult. Try reading it to your child!

This book is a wonderful playbook, full of easy play stickers that entertain as they teach about the wonder of these beautiful animals. I just bought two more for my grandchildren. The pictures are exquisite and the text is fun to read -- even for an old guy like me.

This book is a great reminder for parents about the important and lasting effects of bringing your children out into the great outdoors, and through them awakening your own youthful wonder of the natural world. This is among my favorite quotes... there are several others.

"...from what I, too, have witnessed firsthand, I believe it is possible to develop an ethic of concern among humanity, simply by conserving and encouragng the love of nature so prominent in very young children, and, if necessary, as adults, reaching for that dormant, possibly cynical, perhaps forgotten love of the natural world within us, the truly 'wild side' of our natures. Give that wild side a chance to run free, climb up a tree, gallop down a river. Give it breath with the wind and revive it with yourself. Develop into a nation of whaleheads."

This is a great and important book told from the compassionate heart of a father with line art illustrations by his young son, Tyler. It will make you grab your kids' hand and take a walk outside.. and be very glad that you did. This book is a great gift.

This book is wonderful for children who like to know facts about animals not just look at the pictures. The pictures are oil color pictures that are terrific, but the detail about all the types of whales is what kept our attention. My son is 4 and wants to read it constantly! The book is not long, but has a lyric quality to it.

For several years now, WILDGuides have been setting the standard for small, handy field guides that focus mainly on the identification of neglected groups of wildlife. Their approach is characterised by portability, the emphasis on visual utility (the use of computer enhanced photographs) and a significant contribution to conservation. The latter is achieved in two ways: firstly by getting these guides into the hands of the public at very competitive prices (WILDGuides is a non-profit publisher) and secondly by donating all profits to conservation organisations that work on the area or organisms treated by each guide.

Following on from a similar European guide, Whales and Dolphins of the European Atlantic (Ocean Guides), this is the latest addition to the WILDGuides series and it immediately becomes the standard field guide to sea mammals of the northern Pacific from Baja California to south-east Alaska. It will be handy for any marine excursion, whether it be whale-watching in the Sea of Cortez, a pelagic trip off the California coast or an Alaskan cruise. The key to the guide's utility is the use of digitally-enhanced photographs that show cetaceans as the observer encounters them. Thus there are comparative photographs of whale flukes, fins, blows and breaching, sequences of whales surfacing, and shots of the smaller species porpoising. In addition, there are full-body illustrations of all species and a concise, practical text to help clinch identification.

And since WILDGuides is a non-profit organisation that supports conservation throughout the world, you are helping ensure that the wildlife you enjoy today will still be there for others to enjoy tomorrow. In this case, profits from the book go to the American Cetacean Society.

This will definitely be along on my next trip! Highly recommended for beginners and experts alike.


Chris Sharpe, 5 May 2008. ISBN: 1550174096