My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Moon by Whale Light and Other Adventures Among Bats, Penguins, Crocodilians and Whales
In a rare blend of scientific fact and poetic truth, the acclaimed author of A Natural History of the Senses explores the activities of whales, penguins, bats, and crocodilians, plunging headlong into nature and coming up with highly entertaining treasures.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
May 18th 2011
by Vintage
(first published 1991)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
559)
My favorite essay was the one about whales. (She also writes about bats, alligators and penguins.) In the first part of it, she wonders about the size of whale brains and what they might do with the largest brain on earth.
"After all, mind is such an odd predicament for matter to get into. I often marvel how something like hydrogen, the simplest atom, forged in some early chaos of the universe, could lead to us and the gorgeous fever we call consciousness. If a mind is just a...more
"After all, mind is such an odd predicament for matter to get into. I often marvel how something like hydrogen, the simplest atom, forged in some early chaos of the universe, could lead to us and the gorgeous fever we call consciousness. If a mind is just a...more
In the summer of 1988, I went whale watching off the coast of Cape Cod. The boat moved through a group of humpback whales that seemed to lift their eyes above the water just enough to get a peek at what we were doing, seemingly just as curious about us as we were of them.
That’s why I was eager to read Ackerman’s book “The Moon by Whale Light,” a collection of long pieces about her explorations around the world. It did not disappoint.
In the book, Ackerman quotes whale res...more
That’s why I was eager to read Ackerman’s book “The Moon by Whale Light,” a collection of long pieces about her explorations around the world. It did not disappoint.
In the book, Ackerman quotes whale res...more
This was a wonderful nature book. It is divided nicely into 4 chapters, each on a different animal. What´s great is that there isn´t a lot of literature about the animals that Ackerman writes about. I was very surprised to learn that bats are actually pretty calm creatures and loving parents that can find their babies among hundreds of other babies from their specific cry. That´s pretty cool. What´s more interesting is that bat habitats are being disturbed and destroyed due to ignorance and that...more
view 1 comment
Ackerman's delightful travels into the world of bats, crocodilians, whales, and penguins enlightens the reader with stories of these creatures and the people who study them.
Did you know that bats actually hold and coddle their babies, or that no one knows where the blue whale, the largest mammal on earth, goes to give birth?
This book will delight and fascinate the animal lover and will intrigue any reader who is fascinated by living things.
Did you know that bats actually hold and coddle their babies, or that no one knows where the blue whale, the largest mammal on earth, goes to give birth?
This book will delight and fascinate the animal lover and will intrigue any reader who is fascinated by living things.
I'm pretty sure this is not the edition I read.
I encountered the essay on bats from this book in serial form in the New Yorker. I was more captivated by the description of the bats (and of Bat Conservation International's Merlin Tuttle) than by the other esssays in this book--but I did like the other essays. I was interested enough in Ackerman's work that I got another book by her--but I had difficulty getting through that, so I didn't pursue her work further.
Still, I'd...more
I encountered the essay on bats from this book in serial form in the New Yorker. I was more captivated by the description of the bats (and of Bat Conservation International's Merlin Tuttle) than by the other esssays in this book--but I did like the other essays. I was interested enough in Ackerman's work that I got another book by her--but I had difficulty getting through that, so I didn't pursue her work further.
Still, I'd...more
Another beautiful book of writings by Diane Ackerman. Her writing style is so lyrical and her descriptions are so vivid - reading her work is like biting into the juiciest of fruits. This particular collection highlights bats, crocodiles, penguins, and whales. Ackerman spends time with these animals, learning about their biology and psychology, talks with their keepers, trainers, and researchers.
While all of them were wonderful, the chapters on bats and crocodiles were my favorit...more
While all of them were wonderful, the chapters on bats and crocodiles were my favorit...more
I learned much about whales and other animals you would expect to see in a zoo. How scientists compile their research is at times amazing. This would be a good book to use if you were writing a childs book about one of these animals such as penguins or writing a factual report. I learned much and it is well written so that I will pick up another of this authors non-fiction books.
If you took out all of the pointless descriptions of how people look, what they and Ackerman ate together, what they were wearing, what their offices or boats or the roads leading to their work sites reminded her of, how much of this book would be left? A third? Maybe.
I now love bats - how's that for a life-changing event...who could not love bats after reading this book. However, I still do not love reptiles, but they are interesting. The whale and penguin sections are amazing and I love the way Ackerman writes about these creatures.
Four essays by Diane Ackerman on bats, alligators, penguins and whales. I like her eye for detail and striking descriptions of small things, like the way those bulging alligator eyes retract when the beast submerges or a person gently presses on them.
Sarah
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people without televisions
Recommended to Sarah by:
one of my local librarians
What I liked about this book were the first two chapters. Bats and crocodilians. It was like the BBC Planet Earth series in book form. The essay about whales is what made me give up. Loving whale songs is so middle aged and I'm just not there (quite) yet. I like the rough and tumble animals, not the placid and serene. This book also felt dated, in that a series like Planet Earth or a movie like March of the Penguins has already given us so much of this information (with the bonus dazzling visual...more
I can't get right through this book but every time I am in-between books I pick it up. It is so interesting. Adam thinks I'm crazy because I keep telling him how cool bats are!
A wonderful book, informative and poetic at the same time. Reminds you to appreciate the wonder and beauty of the natural world
She tries to make everything sound beautiful and poignant, but at some point I just start to get annoyed.
I really loved this book. It is filled with beautiful descriptions of Ackerman's experiences learning about four different types of animals: bats, crocodilians, whales and penguins. In each chapter I learned unexpected things about the animals, and experienced Ackerman's wonder at the beauty and uniqueness of each animal group. Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about this book. Ackerman perfectly captures that feeling of awe and wonder experienced when observing nature working so perfec...more
One of my favorite books of all time. She takes you with her on her adventures. Love it.
Beautiful writing about the beautiful, disappearing world.
Reminded me of what an amazing world we live in.
Really liked the section on bats.
More for students. Interesting though.
bats are awesome.
Book Cellar
rated it
Recommends it for:
nature lovers, animal lovers, thinkers
Shelves:
jessie-s-picks
Ackerman's delightful travels into the world of bats, crocodilians, whales, and penguins enlightens the reader with stories of these creatures and the people who study them.
Did you know that bats actually hold and coddle their babies, or that no one knows where the blue whale, the largest mammal on earth, goes to give birth?
This book will delight and fascinate the animal lover and will intrigue any reader who is fascinated by living things.
~Jessie T., Book ...more
Did you know that bats actually hold and coddle their babies, or that no one knows where the blue whale, the largest mammal on earth, goes to give birth?
This book will delight and fascinate the animal lover and will intrigue any reader who is fascinated by living things.
~Jessie T., Book ...more
I adored every single chapter in this book and am a complete and total Diane Ackerman fan. She does an amazing job researching her subjects and describing them in such a way that you will never ever forget. She made me absolutley love and adore bats...not so much with crocodiles but uhmm maybe a little.
Read this and every other Diane Ackerman book you can find!
Read this and every other Diane Ackerman book you can find!
Sunny
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone who is intelligent.
Recommended to Sunny by:
Someone left it in the laundry room.
I was excited to read something other than a text by an author with a PhD. I learned something new every paragraph in the section about bats. Everyone ought to read it just to read about the guy who swam across a pond full of piranhas and electric eels. I am sure I would have never made it to that point. In any case after reading this book I want to build my own bat-house to keep in my yard someday, so long as it doesn't interfere with the local bee farms.
This collection of essays is certainly beautifully written. The topics of bats, crocodiles, whales and penguins were all fascinating and fairly informative. The book just didn't really wow me - much of the information was not new and though the author put herself into the essays, there wasn't really enough of that to put a more interesting angle on the collection as a whole.
Sort of reading this off and on. A collection of essays about Bats, Penguins, Crocs and Whales. It's actually really interesting, and I like that she is learning about these animals through the eyes of scientists who study them. I'm on the part about whales right now, and it's really beautiful and heartwarming to think of these guys. Interesting info, pretty well written, but just not sure how well it's all coming together for me.
Karyn
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Shawnee, Emma, Libby-- anyone that loves animals and the natural world
Diane Ackerman is one of my favorite authors!! She blends natural history, ethology, and psychology; all subjects which are dear to my heart. Her descriptive writing is captivating, and I always find her books inspiring and thought-provoking.
In this book, she recounts many adventures with naturalists and tells stories of these wonderful creatures in their own environments.
In this book, she recounts many adventures with naturalists and tells stories of these wonderful creatures in their own environments.
A beautiful blend of science and poetry, Ackerman shares her stories of bats, alligators, whales and penguins. I read this because I was a fan of A Natural History of the Senses, and this has a comparable style.
This book has made me fallen in love with natural, nonfiction writing, and I've become a fan of Diane Ackerman. It has compelled me to look at my life, and be more aggressive about engaging myself in my natural environment (instead of dreaming up things I want to do, I just need to do them). I can't wait to read more of Ackerman's writing.
After reading "The Natural History of the Senses" what else can one do but read the other natural history essay collections by the brilliant Ackerman. Brilliant writer at her best. This book made me very interested in crocodiles I actually went to the Manila Zoo and spent half a day just observing the Saltwater Crocs there. Fascinating creatures.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Diane Ackerman received her B.A. in English from Penn State and an M.F.A. and Ph.D. in English from Cornell University in 1978. Her dissertation advisor was Carl Sagan. From 1980 to 1983 she taught English at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been married to novelist Paul West since 1970. She currently resides in Ithaca, New York. A collection of her manuscripts, writings and pap...more
More about Diane Ackerman...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“There was nothing to do but wait. It is always like this for naturalists, and for poets--the long hours of travel and preparation, and then the longer hours of waiting. All for that one electric, pulse-revving vision when the universe suddenly declares itself.”
—
7 people liked it
“Alligators have beautiful undulating skin, which feels dense, spongy, solid, like the best eraser.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
