mongkut's Full Review: Bonnie Worth, Joseph Mathieu, Aristides Ruiz - A W...
I’ve always had a love of the ocean. Never in my life have I lived more than half an hour’s drive from it and I never will. Ever since I was a young child I’ve always had a love for marine mammals, particularly cetaceans the family that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. I own dozens of dolphin and whale sculptures and several prints as well. This love of the sea and marine mammals is one of the main reasons I sacrificed building a career early on in lieu of teaching scuba. Although I certainly don’t want my son to eek by at the meager pay of a dive instructor I am already instilling in him a love of the sea and marine life.
When I saw a Cat in the Hat Learning Library title about porpoises, dolphins, and whales, I scooped it right up and now it is currently one of my son’s favorites.
The Book
A Whale of a Tale is a 45 page, hardcover book written by Bonnie Worth and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu. It is part of ‘The Cat in the Hat Learning Library’ which is a series of books written in the style of Dr. Seuss that teach young children about non-fiction subject matter.
In ‘A Whale of a Tale’ children are introduced to the order Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Like other books in the Learning Library, ‘A Whale of a Tale’ uses the Cat in the Hat as a tour guide to teach young Sally and Dick about the differences between these marine mammals and how they are all different from fish. Thing One and Thing Two also make appearances as they aid The Cat in the Hat in his teaching.
The book is written in the same rhyming style as original Seuss books and the illustrations will be familiar to any young fan of Seuss. Although the subject matter may be a little advanced for very young children it is presented in such a way that it is easy to understand.
In the beginning of the book the difference between cetaceans and fish is explained. This is followed with explanations of the differences between the various groups within the cetaceans and then the differences among members of the various groups. The behavior and intelligence of these marine mammals is one of the more fascinating parts of the book for young children with examples of dolphins being good parents and whales speaking to one another.
At the end of the book is a short glossary of terms used in the story and suggestions for further reading aimed at this age group.
Our Experience
I can’t express loudly enough what a huge fan I am of this series. It is such a fantastic way to introduce these subjects to younger children. I’m particularly enthusiastic about the way they start to instill an awareness about our world, the creatures in it, and the positive and negative impact of man.
I’m not sure if this book is my son’s absolute favorite, but it is certainly mine. I do know that he likes the book very much and he certainly knows the differences between cetaceans and fish, which is pretty cool for a five year old. We have a nice little aquarium not far from us with several dolphins and prior to reading the book he thought they were pretty cool. Now he is absolutely fascinated watching them play and interact with one another. Although it is a bit funny when they chirp and click and he asks me what they’re saying. (I have to tell him I don’t speak dolphin.)
The book itself is well written, but not as easy to read aloud due to some of the more hard to pronounce words and the more awkward flow of the verse. Like all Seuss style books there is a certain rhythm and cadence that needs to be followed in order for verse to sound right when spoken. It took me maybe three readings before I started to feel comfortable with this book. In contrast ‘Hurray for Today!’, which I recently reviewed, flowed much more easily. Here is an example of the verse:
“So please hang on tight as
we lower down toward
the boat that we soon
will be sailing aboard.
One very large boat,
the best in the nation
Captain McElligot’s
Cetacean Station!”
Try saying the last sentence three times fast. Come on try, I dare you. Oh well, maybe it rolls off your tongue better than mine but I sputtered and stumbled the first few times I read this one to my son.
One thing that is really great about these books is the amount of detail they include and the way the book is set up. There are small boxes throughout the book that contain fast facts about whatever subject is being covered on the pages. I like these because they are outside the story line and I can add them as I think my son is ready for them. On the page discussing echolocation the term itself isn’t included in the story but in a dialogue box instead. The first couple of times I read the book I just read the verse and answered my son’s questions. On the third reading I included the definition of echolocation which built on what he previously learned.
One thing you need to be prepared for when reading this or any of the Learning Library titles are questions. The non-fiction subject matter just lends itself to discussion. In my son’s case I would say he averages about a question per page and it makes for a nice opportunity to make the book more interactive than the passive listening that often accompanies fictional bedtime stories.
On the whole I’ll have to give ‘A Whale of a Tale’ two fins up.
The Price: The cover price is $8.99. I paid slightly less using a discount card.
Age Appropriate Range: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Copyright Date: May 23, 2006
Pages: 45
ISBN Number: 9780375822797
Type: Hardcover, 9.75" x 6." x 0.25"
This review is entered in Hadassahchana and Dramastef's Fight Illiteracy write off.
The Cat and Co. take to the high seas and introduce readers to almost 20 different species of aquatic mammals known as cetaceans--including whales, po...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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