Big Blue Whale

A beautifully-presented, informative book telling much of what a child might wish to know about Blue Whales. We start close to the whale, comparing its size to that of other large animals, a pair of sailors in gumboots and oilskins giving some sense of scale as they feel its skin, 'springy and smooth like a hard-boiled egg, and as slippery as wet soap', or look into its eye 'as big as a teacup'. Gradually we are distanced from the whale as learn of its life and habits until at last we are reminded that however large the creature is, 'in the vastness of the green seas, even a blue whale is small - and hard to find'. The main text is gentle and unhurried, almost lyrical in style, imparting its information in style, imparting its information in way easy even for under-7s to grasp. There is a subsidiary text, in handwriting, giving further facts, sometimes genuinely illuminating. The illustrations are in soft watercolour, cross-hatched, and giving views of the animal from all angles. A fine example of a good information book reaching a wide age range.