cover image Whale Song

Whale Song

Tony Johnston. Putnam Publishing Group, $14.95 (31pp) ISBN 978-0-399-21402-8

Written in celebration of these gentle giants of the sea, Whale Song is a simple but breathtaking counting book. Lyrical text by Johnston (The Quilt Story, The Witch's Hat, etc.) draws the reader into the depths of the ocean, into the quiet blue-green realm of the whales, where a pod of uncle whales, a mother whale lulling her baby to sleep and a huge whale with a great big frosty voice sing out numbers from ONE! to TEN! Young's remarkable watercolor-and-chalk illustrations are luminescent in his use of shades of blue, green and turquoise. He instills a powerful mood into these pictures, and a sense of wonder for the great sea-faring mammals. Ages 4-8. (October)