{"product_id":"in-the-world-of-whales-isbn-9780823453429","title":"In the World of Whales","description":"\u003cb\u003ePlunge deep into the awe-inspiring true story of a freediver’s encounter with a newborn sperm whale and its family.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen a freediver (one who dives without the benefit of oxygen) slips underwater, he encounters a pod of sperm whales so close he can almost touch them. When he sees blood in the water, he wonders if there's been an injury. When he comes even closer, what he finds instead is a moments-old calf, skin wrinkly and tail fluke still folded from the womb. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe calf’s family nudges it up to breathe; nudges it toward each member of the pod, by way of introduction; and then it happens—the mother nudges her child toward the diver, inviting him, too, to share in the family moment. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTold from the vantage point of Belgian freediver Fred Buyle, who with his diving partner Kurt Amsler are the only people known to be present at the birth of a sperm whale, \u003ci\u003eIn the World of Whales\u003c\/i\u003e features lyrical-yet-precise text by Michelle Cusolito and dreamlike illustrations by Jessica Lanan, creator of the Sibert Honor book \u003ci\u003eJumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider\u003c\/i\u003e. Any child who dreams of speaking to animals will adore this proof of humanity’s bond with the wild world. At the end of the story, find more information about freediving and whales.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of the Year \u003c\/b\u003eThis breath-by-breath glimpse offers a magnificent snapshot of an otherwise hidden moment that conveys with deep emotional impact the parallels of creaturely life.\u003cbr\u003e—Publishers Weekly (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Cusolito’s] concise yet eloquent text immerses young people in the watery setting, letting them feel the whales’ clicks as they “tingle” and “vibrate” and emphasizing the strength of these animals’ social bonds. Lanan’s fluid, pristine artwork echoes the underwater photography, with clear, blue-washed images that suggest both immense grandeur and the shadowy sublime. . . . A brief yet powerful moment of intimacy, inspiration, and awe.\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf ever the description of a rare natural encounter will leave readers filled with wonder, look to these spare, luminous observations of a sperm-whale pod clustering about a just-born calf.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is refreshing to have a book celebrating awhale birth. . . .The text incorporates effervescent onomatopoeia with whooshing exhales and pfff-ing bubbles. . . . Lanan’s depiction of the ocean is masterful. . . . A masterpiece of illustration, this book is essential for all collections.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Journal (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCusolito’s precise, evocative prose and Jessica Lanan’s radiant aquamarine illustrations beautifully capture this transformative underwater encounter. . . .it manages to convey the magic and wonder of the broader natural world, and the careful, respectful ways in which humans need to understand, observe and protect it. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—BookPage (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCusolito clearly delineates between fact and speculation. Lanan’s watercolor and ink illustrations bring readers into this majestic, alien environment, mirroring the diver’s belief that the whales are welcoming him to this special event.\u003cbr\u003e—The Horn Book (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe third-person text relays pertinent whale info clearly and succinctly but maintains a respectful, curious tone, underlining what scientists do and do not know about the whale world. . . . Pair this with the exploration of a whale’s death in Brunelle’s magnificent \u003ci\u003eLife After Whale \u003c\/i\u003efor an informative look at the beginning and the ending of one of Earth’s most fascinating creatures.\u003cbr\u003e—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books\u003cb\u003eMichelle Cusolito\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eFlying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the PEN-NE Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award; \u003ci\u003eDiving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWindow into the Ocean Twilight Zone: Twenty Four Days of Science at Sea\u003c\/i\u003e. A marine biology major before pivoting to education, she has always found chances to pursue science, such as a summer spent tagging butterflies as a research assistant in Ecuador. She lives with her family in Southeastern Massachusetts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJessica Lanan\u003c\/b\u003e is the Sibert and Golden Kite Honor winning author and illustrator of \u003ci\u003eJumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Fisherman and the Whale\u003c\/i\u003e, a Colorado Book Award finalist and winner of the Bull-Bransom Award for wildlife art. She has illustrated many other books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Package\u003c\/i\u003e by Richard Ho, \u003ci\u003eJust Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet \u003c\/i\u003eby Curtis Manley and \u003ci\u003eThank You Moon\u003c\/i\u003e by Melissa Stewart. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her daughter and cat.","brand":"Neal Porter Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303267258597,"sku":"NP9780823453429","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780823453429.jpg?v=1767729994","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/in-the-world-of-whales-isbn-9780823453429","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}