I Wonder if I'll See a Whale - Softcover

Grade 2-4-- Stunning paintings and expressive prose introduce the awesome mystery of whale watching in this near-perfect collaboration between author and illustrator. The narrator is a school-aged girl whose previous whale-watching excursions had been unsatisfying. In a quiet but urgent voice, she conveys her fervent desire to see a whale close up. The excitement builds with two false sightings of dolphins and fin whales until, at last, several playful humpbacks are spotted, feeding and cavorting near enough to the boat to satisfy the child's curiosity. Educational and entertaining, the book cleverly interweaves facts about whales and accurate terminology into the telling of the day's events without breaking the rhythm of the story. Realistic watercolors allow the visual story to keep pace with the narration; views of the girl on the boat combing the bright horizon for signs of the whales alternate with glimpses of the giants of the deep swimming below the cool blue surface of the sea. Pictures and text merge dramatically in the final face-to-face meeting of the girl and the behemoth over the boat's railing. Children not yet able to handle the sophisticated language on their own will nonetheless find themselves drawn into the action through the drama of the illustrations and the cadence of Weller's words. A compelling, satisfying adventure story respectful of the power of nature and the kinship between humans and animals. --Dorothy Houlihan, White Plains Public Library, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With its haunting, often poetic text and dramatic, sumptuously colored paintings, this is a book to savor. Weller and Lewin bring readers on board a boat off the New England coast, where a girl waits anxiously to catch sight of one of the humpback whales that frequent these waters in summer. She has been on whale-watching xpeditions before, and has seen "spouts far off and shadows in the mist." But she has never really seen a whale, and is hoping that today will be the day she catches more than a fleeting glimpse of these graceful mammals. She is not disappointed: after watching some whales play hide-and-seek with the boat, the girl finally comes face-to-face with a curious, friendly humpback. She is deeply moved: "It's not a game. It's more like church." Readers, too, will feel as though they have come into close contact with a very special creature. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.