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Fleming adds a new title to her nonfiction picture books, teaming up with debut illustrator to add this fascinating picturebook about an elusive whale to her other nonfiction titles like Giant Squid and Honeybee. The book is written from the perspective of the reader, imagining that they are living the life of a narwhal "shy. swift. small (for a whale)." and the narwhals float through the story, individually and in groups, with one male the center of the story.
Their journey begins in the Arctic where the males clash with their horns, the northern lights glow, and the narwhals come up for air in cracks in the sea ice. As the narwhals hunt, migrate, avoid predators like orcas, and travel together, readers learn about their horns, which are a giant tusk or tooth, their ability to use echolocation, and the perils they face as they migrate. The poetic language is brief and encourages readers to extrapolate from the simple words the facts Fleming has woven into the story.
Somehow, I had always pictured narwhals (and their horns) as being much smaller and I was a little confused by the comparison to a lamppost (in my mind, that means a streetlight... pretty sure they are not that big!). I was also a little disappointed that Fleming chose to default to the male animal, which happens a lot in fiction and nonfiction titles. There is a very detailed collection of facts and notes at the end - two pages of dense text. This explores a lot of the scientific speculation about the use of narwhal tusks and various new discoveries about these animals. It's unlikely that preschool or elementary kids will be willing to sit still and listen to this, but it would be great background for an adult reader to have in mind so they can prompt and answer questions.
So'oteh has a lovely style for underwater adventures with every shade of green and blue blending in the bubbling waters of the ocean. The narwhals slide smoothly through the pictures giving an impression not only of grace and athletic ability but also of the closeness of the pod and how they depend on each other.
Verdict: This is a beautiful book and there's a growing interest in narwhals, thanks to various fictional series like Narwhal and Jelly and Not Quite Narwhal. There is a similar title, Narwhal by Justin Anderson, from 2022 but if you are in need of additional or newer materials this is a strong purchase for any school or library.
ISBN: 9780593377789; Hardcover/Picturebook on Baker & Taylor for $10.63
2 comments:
Hi, Jean, thanks for the lovely review. I so appreciate it! I DID want to address a couple of points you made, if that's okay. A narwhal tusk is typically 10 feet long, so, yes, it IS that big. Isn't that amazing? Additionally, I did default to the male perspective. I'm always the first to give females their due. In this case, however, I made a very conscious decision to write about a male narwhal because they grow tusks, not females. Since the tusk is the iconic physical characteristic of the narwhal, and the one kids know most about, I chose to make "my" creature male. I hope that clarifies things for you. And again, thanks for the review.
Ha, I am not as good a writer as you are, so I didn't fully convey how cool I thought it was that I learned how big narwhal tusks can be! My colleagues are getting a little tired of hearing about narwhals now! I can definitely see why you chose to speak from the male perspective. It's a lovely book!
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