The Birth of a Whale, illustrated by Janet Skiles and written by John Archambault, is a non-rhyming poem about humpback whales. Every four pages, there is a repeated chorus of “The deep water dark, the deep water dark, singing, dancing in the deep water dark.” The pregnancy of the mother whale comes as a bit of a surprise, and one can only assume from the text that whales reproduce when they “caress each other with their wing-like flippers”. The illustrations are lazy and their only remarkable quality is how non-magical and non-graceful they make these beautiful creatures seem. The font is straight out of a first-grade worksheet and includes shadows, giving the whole text a gift store in Bar Harbor feel. Aside from the text, there is a 72-word note about humpback whales at the back which provides very little information, probably because it is only 72 words long. I read this book because it was the anchor text for a week long read aloud lesson plan that I found on a recommended website, www.somethingorother.com. It would be a long week. ( )

An eloquent story about the birth and development of a humpback whale. It is very accurately detailed. The language and repitition, along with the beautiful illustrations, will engage readers