Whales to the Rescue by Adrienne Mason and Kim Smith - ADVISABLE

Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet by Adrienne Mason, illustrated by Kim Smith. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2022. $19. 9781525305375

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

A fascinating, fact-filled book about how helpful and necessary whales are to planet Earth. Complete with a table of contents, glossary, and index, this book would be a fantastic resource for students doing research or students simply wanting to learn more about oceans, whales and ecosystems. The book is text heavy, making it perfect for upper elementary or middle school students, but has gorgeous, detailed illustrations that support the text and make the book enjoyable for younger children as well.

I learned quite a few facts that I didn't know before reading this book! There's a lot of text but the book is written in a simple-to-understand way and I never felt bored or anxious to be done with the book as I read. While I was a little squeamish reading the detailed bits about whale waste (did you know a fin whale pees 257 gallons a day!?), I'm confident that students will be utterly fascinated and morbidly delighted by the sections titled "Living on Sunshine" and "A Poop Pump".

Angie Campbell - EL Librarian