The Eye of the Whale
Gr 1-3–In a spare text, O'Connell describes the rescue of a humpback whale that was found tangled in lines from crab traps miles off the coast of San Francisco. The huge mammal, barely able to breathe, was spotted by a fisherman. He radioed a captain, who assembled a team from the Marine Mammal Center. They rushed to the scene to try to save the massive creature. What happened next provides a captivating ending to this unusual tale and will spark discussion of the whale's ability to experience and demonstrate emotions. O'Connell's attractive paintings–many of them full spreads, some with insets–show the rescue from above and below the ocean surface and the tiny size of the divers compared with that of the whale, which is shown from many perspectives. The final page offers additional information.–Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OHα(c) Copyright 2013.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.