This is the book that started it all. It's still one of the best books I have ever read. It was given to me by some relative (I think my grandmother) early on. It chronicles the adventures of Sharp Ears, a baby sperm whale from his birth in the Caribbean to adulthood, Many years later, my grandmother also picked my sterling silver for me. It was Romance of the Sea by Wallace. At the time I wasn't crazy about it, but I have grown to love it dearly. My grandmother wasn't a water person, but she was, indeed, a grandchildren person and encouraged them in whatever they chose.