“Dear Mr. Blueberry, I love whales very much and I think I saw one in my pond today. Please send me some information on whales.” It’s vacation time, so Emily has to write to her teacher to help when she discovers a blue whale living in her pond. Mr. Blueberry answers that she must be mistaken, because whales live in the ocean, not in ponds. Throughout the summer, Emily and Mr. Blueberry exchange letters, until Emily has a happy surprise to share with her teacher. In the process, Emily learns a lot about whales. And Mr. Blueberry learns even more about imagination, faith, and love.

I loved this book! Great for teaching students to write and to research. Emily, the main character, writes letters back and forth with her teacher about a whale she spotted in the pond outside her house. Emily has a vast imagination and looks to her teacher for information in order to help her whale. The main idea of the story is not as obvious or deep, which is why the rating lost a star. However, the main idea of the story would be to not give up on the things that you believe in, and to research the things you want to know more about. ( )

I love this book. Emily has a great imagination and is not easily deterred. ( )

I thought that this was a very cute book for young children. I loved that it was written in the form of letters. I thought that this was a good touch to a children's book because it is not everyday where I see a book primarily in letters. I loved reading the little girls questions and seeing the response of the adult telling her that there is no possibly way that a whale was in the pond. ( )

I had mixed feelings about this book. I loved the format of the book. The whole thing was written in letter format to Mr. Blueberry. For example, the little girl would write a letter to Mr. Blueberry and he would respond back in a letter. This is a great way to teach students how to properly write a letter the components of a letter. I also liked how the book gave information on whales in a subtle manner. Children don't even realize they are gaining new knowledge about whales. For example, Mr. Blueberry informs the girl that whales can only live in salt water. I did not like how the book abruptly ended. One night the whale was just gone and then the girl saw the whale at the beach at that was it. The book didn't seem to have closure or explain if the girl was just imaging the whale. Due to this abrupt ending it made me unsure of the main message of the book. Overall, I would say the main message is to show that children have great imaginations and you can believe anything if you really want to. ( )