Welcome to the Internet School Library Media Center
Whales bibliography. See also ISLMC Whales
Page. The ISLMC
is a meta-site of educational materials for school librarians, teachers,
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[Fiction] [Nonfiction]
[For Teachers]
Fiction
Kassirer, Sue. Thar She Blows: Whaling in the 1860's. pa.
Soundprints, 1998.
While visiting a whaling exhibit at the Museum of Natural
History,
Emma suddenly finds herself transported back in time to a
nineteenth
century whaling ship.
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. 150th Anniversary ed. N A L, 2001.
(pa)
Young adult, adult; Captain Ahab, having lost a leg in an
earlier battle with
White Whale, is determined to catch the beast and destry it.
Pfister, Marcus. Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale. North-South
Books, 2001.
Board book. When a big blue whale comes to live near their
reef, there is a misunderstanding between him and Rainbow Fish and his
friends that leaves everyone very unhappy and hungry. Reviews at Barnes &
Noble. For lesson plans see:
Marcus Pfister Teacher Resource File.
Raffi. Baby Beluga. Illustrated
by Ashley Wolff. 1st ed. Crown Books for Young Readers, 1997.
Board book. Book presents an illustrated version of
Raffi's children's song about a small white whale. Music and full
text are appended. Preschool to grade 2. Reviews at Barnes &
Noble. Lesson Plans at: Raffi Teacher Resource File
Simon, James. Dear Mr. Blueberry. Simon & Schuster, 1996. (pa.)
Picture book. A young girl and her teacher correspond about
the whale
she has discovered in her pond. Reviews at Barnes & Noble
Steig,
William
. Amos and Boris. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1977.
Picture book, age range 5 to 8; Befriended by a whale as he is
drowning in the ocean, a mouse gets a chance to reciprocate years later in
an equally unlikely situation.
Review at Barnes & Noble. Related
page: William Steig Teacher Resource
File
[Back to Top]
Nonfiction
Ames, Lee and Warren Budd. pa. ed. Draw 50 Sharks, Whales and Other Sea
Creatures. Doubleday, 1991; 1st ed. Doubleday, 1989.
Grades 3 up. How to draw sharks and whales. Reviews at
Barnes &
Noble;
Related page: Lee Ames Teacher
Resource File
Arnold, Caroline and Richard Hewett. Baby Whale Rescue: The
True Story of J.J.. pa. ed. Troll, 2000; Mahwah, NJ: Bridgewater
Books, 1999.
Describes how J.J., a baby gray whale born off the
California
coast and separated from her mother, was rescued and
returned to the open
sea.
Ages 5 to 8. Review at Barnes and Noble
Related page: Caroline Arnold
Teacher Resource File
Carwardine, Mark et al. Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. pa. ed.
Dorling Kindersley,
1998; Alexandria, VA: Nature Company: Time-Life Books, 1998.
Comprehensive work on whales; basic information as
physical
characteristics, behavior, habitat, and feeding habits.
From the Sea and Explore Library. Ages 9 to 12. Review at Barnes & Noble
Davies, Nicola. Big Blue Whale. pa. ed. Candlewick Press, 2001;
1st U.S. ed. Candlewick Press, 1997.
Examines the physical characteristics, habits, and
habitats
of the blue whale. Grades K-3. Reviews at Barnes & Noble
Dow, Lesley. Whales. Facts on File, 1990.
Describes the physical characteristics, behavior and
natural
environment of whales. Ages 10 to 14. Reviews at Barnes & Noble
Esbensen,
Barbara Juster. Baby Whales Drink Milk.
Illustrated by Lambert Davis. pa. ed. HarperCollins, 1993; 1st ed.
HarperCollins, 1994.
Discusses the behavior of the humpback whale, focusing
on the
fact that it is a mammal and shares the
characteristics of other
mammals. Ages 4 to 6. Reviews at Barnes & Noble
Gibbons,
Gail. Whales. pa. ed. Holiday House, 1995; 1st ed. Holiday
House, 1991.
Species of whales, plus general information on where they
live,
what they eat and other basic facts. Grades 1-3.
Reviews at Barnes &
Noble
Hodge, Deborah. Whales: Killer Whales, Blue Whales and More. pa.
ed.
Illustrated by Pat Stephens. General Distribution Services, 1999.
Shows several types of whales, where each lives and
migrates,
other basic information. Review at Barnes & Noble.
Ages 5 to 8
Lauber, atricia. Great Whales: The Gentle Giants. Henry
Holt, 1997.
Ages 7 to 9; describes the characteristics and behavior
of different kinds of whales and discusses why they are threatened
by extinction.
Milton, Joyce. Whales: The Gentle Giants.
Random House, 1989.
Ages 6 to 8; discusses different types of whales, how
they care for their young, how they migrate, other basic
information. Reviews at Barnes & Noble
McNulty,
Faith. How Whales Walked into the Sea.
Illustrated by Ted Lewin and Ted Rand. pa. ed. Scholastic, 1999; 1st ed.
Scholastic, 1999.
Explains how whales evolved from a land animal into a
sea animal.
Ages 7 to 10. Reviews at Barnes and Noble
Murphy, Jim. Gone A-Whaling: The Lure of the Sea and the Hunt
for the Great Whale. Houghton Mifflin, 1998; 1st ed.
Clarion, 1998. [Notes: Both in hardcover]
Surveys the history of the whaling industry from its
earliest days to the present, focusing on the young boys who
managed to sign on for whaling voyages. Ages 9 to 12 in
hardcover. Reviews at Barnes &
Noble
Paine, Stefani. World of the Arctic Whales: Belugas, Bowheads
and Narwhals. Sierra Club Books, 1997.
Study focuses on beluga, bowhead and narwhal whales.
Includes diet, mating, ecological impact
Palmer, Sarah. Narwhals. Rourke, 1988.
Ages 5 to 10; Introduces the physical appearance,
habits, diet and habitat and threats to its existence. No review
available.
Parker, Steve. Whales and
Dolphins.
Sierra Club Books
Information including how they hunt, eat, migrate, breed and
communicate with one another. Includes photographs. Grades
3-6.
Simon, Seymour. Killer Whales. SeaStar Books, 2002. (pa)
An introduction to the physical characteristics,
behavior and life cycle of the killer whale.
Spiers,
Gill. I Can Draw Sharks and Whales. Simon & Schuster, 1997; 1st
ed. Little Simon, 1986.
Instructions for drawing a variety of sharks and whales.
No review available; from Barnes & Noble
Tokuda, Wendy and Richard Hall. Humphrey, the Lost Whale: A True
Story. Illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama. Union City, CA: Heian,
1986; pa. ed. Heian, 1992
Describes how a migrating humpback whale mistakenly
entered the San Francisco Bay in 1985 and swam sixty-fourmiles
inland before being led back to the sea by people concerned for
his welfare. Ages 5 to 11. No review available
Tracqui, Valerie and Vial Jacana. The Whale, Giant of
the
Ocean. Photographs by Francois Gohier-Jacana. pa. ed. Charlesbridge,
1995; 1st American ed. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 1995.
Explores family life and challenges of survival
through
irresistible full-color photographs and an engaging text.
Ages 3 to 8. Reviews at Barnes & Noble
Wolpert, Tom. Whales
for Kids. Photography by Flip Nicklin. Reprint ed. Creative
Publishing International, 1991; Minocqua, WI: NorthWord Press, 1990.
Discusses the physical characteristics and behavior of
whales.
Age range 7; from Barnes & Noble
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For Teachers
Leatherwood, Stephen and Randall R. Reeves. The Sierra Club
Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. From Sierra Club Books
Comprehensive guide to the Cetacea - whales, dolphins and
porpoises.
The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes,
Whales, and Dolphins. Alfred A. Knopf, 1983.
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Developed by:
Inez Ramsey
