Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble
Just finished reading "Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" by George S. Elrick, published by Whitman Publishing Company back in 1969 as the third book in their 2000 Big Little Book line.
"Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" was the third release, #2003, in what would be their final hardcover releases of Big Little Books that comprised their 2000 series line.
I do remember asking Mom to buy this Big Little Book for me when I say it in the toy section of Roses - a regional department store - that was in the New River Shopping Center. Perhaps the best way to describe Roses is that it was a mini-Walmart.
Now I don't recall seeing Big Little Books in any bookstores. Michelle's Bookstore certainly didn't carry Big Little Books in their children's section. Keep in mind that my father was permanently stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, so we really didn't have the travel experiences that most military families had/have, so my retail experiences at stores in other areas of the United States was limited for that time.
I discovered my reading copy of "Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" at the antique store at the Pecan Park Flea Market about five miles away from the Jacksonville National Cemetery.
Now, for those who may have come in late, I was kicked out of the now defunct Big Little Book Club of America,, for daring to read and review reading copies of the 2000 series of Big Little Books. I was also blocked for their social media pages. Now I will say that at least I was refunded the remaining portion of my membership all those years ago. To the best of my knowledge, there were no rules about actually reading modern age Big Little Books that Big Little Book collectors like myself collect. Still as a "picky" reader and collector of books, GI Joes, Matchbox and Hot Wheels, ect... myself I do understand the reluctance to actually interact with your collectibles, but I don't really know of any collector associations that actually forbid you from interacting with your collection.
"Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" is based on the popular television show from the late 1960s and was an Ivan Tors production. Ivan Tors produced may popular wild animal/human family shows from this time period in television history and I recall watching a few episodes of it when it first aired on our black and white television. We didn't get a color television until around 1978.
The television show is an extension of the 1963 film Flipper starring Chuck Connors and Luke Halpin as Porter and Sandy Ricks, and of its 1964 sequel, Flipper's New Adventure. For the second film, the producers scripted that Mrs. Ricks had died, making Porter now a single parent, with Brian Kelly taking over the role as Porter Ricks, but now as a trainee park ranger rather than a fisherman. In adapting the films to a television series, the producers gave Porter a second, younger son, Bud, portrayed by Tommy Norden, and the TV series has Porter returning permanently to the Florida Keys as the park ranger of the Coral Key Marine Preserve. There was a bit of a "Johnny Quest" element of the show.
George S. Elrick, who wrote many of the Big Little Books in the 2000 series, faithfully adapted the show into the Big Little Book format and surprisingly encouraged STEM and contained some accurate, for the time, observations and speculations on marine animal behavior; and there is a literary in joke that borders on being "naughty" though there is a need to be careful about placing a modern spin on an era.
"Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" begins when Sandy and Bud are out in their boat checking buoys, as their father instructed them, and Flipper is tagging along. All of a sudden they spy an albino killer whale. Because of its resemblance to Moby Dick, they jokingly name it "Richard". Their father is a ranger in the Coral Key Marine Preserve, and when they tell him about it, he's puzzled that a killer whale would be that far south. They're even more puzzled when the whale seems to be interested in Flipper. They consult a local oceanographer, who sees the whale in action. He theorizes that Richard is actually a female, and that her motives are less sinister than the boys originally thought. However, if his theory is true, the boys might not ever see Flipper again.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Flipper-Troubl...
"Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" was the third release, #2003, in what would be their final hardcover releases of Big Little Books that comprised their 2000 series line.
I do remember asking Mom to buy this Big Little Book for me when I say it in the toy section of Roses - a regional department store - that was in the New River Shopping Center. Perhaps the best way to describe Roses is that it was a mini-Walmart.
Now I don't recall seeing Big Little Books in any bookstores. Michelle's Bookstore certainly didn't carry Big Little Books in their children's section. Keep in mind that my father was permanently stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, so we really didn't have the travel experiences that most military families had/have, so my retail experiences at stores in other areas of the United States was limited for that time.
I discovered my reading copy of "Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" at the antique store at the Pecan Park Flea Market about five miles away from the Jacksonville National Cemetery.
Now, for those who may have come in late, I was kicked out of the now defunct Big Little Book Club of America,, for daring to read and review reading copies of the 2000 series of Big Little Books. I was also blocked for their social media pages. Now I will say that at least I was refunded the remaining portion of my membership all those years ago. To the best of my knowledge, there were no rules about actually reading modern age Big Little Books that Big Little Book collectors like myself collect. Still as a "picky" reader and collector of books, GI Joes, Matchbox and Hot Wheels, ect... myself I do understand the reluctance to actually interact with your collectibles, but I don't really know of any collector associations that actually forbid you from interacting with your collection.
"Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" is based on the popular television show from the late 1960s and was an Ivan Tors production. Ivan Tors produced may popular wild animal/human family shows from this time period in television history and I recall watching a few episodes of it when it first aired on our black and white television. We didn't get a color television until around 1978.
The television show is an extension of the 1963 film Flipper starring Chuck Connors and Luke Halpin as Porter and Sandy Ricks, and of its 1964 sequel, Flipper's New Adventure. For the second film, the producers scripted that Mrs. Ricks had died, making Porter now a single parent, with Brian Kelly taking over the role as Porter Ricks, but now as a trainee park ranger rather than a fisherman. In adapting the films to a television series, the producers gave Porter a second, younger son, Bud, portrayed by Tommy Norden, and the TV series has Porter returning permanently to the Florida Keys as the park ranger of the Coral Key Marine Preserve. There was a bit of a "Johnny Quest" element of the show.
George S. Elrick, who wrote many of the Big Little Books in the 2000 series, faithfully adapted the show into the Big Little Book format and surprisingly encouraged STEM and contained some accurate, for the time, observations and speculations on marine animal behavior; and there is a literary in joke that borders on being "naughty" though there is a need to be careful about placing a modern spin on an era.
"Flipper - Killer Whale Trouble" begins when Sandy and Bud are out in their boat checking buoys, as their father instructed them, and Flipper is tagging along. All of a sudden they spy an albino killer whale. Because of its resemblance to Moby Dick, they jokingly name it "Richard". Their father is a ranger in the Coral Key Marine Preserve, and when they tell him about it, he's puzzled that a killer whale would be that far south. They're even more puzzled when the whale seems to be interested in Flipper. They consult a local oceanographer, who sees the whale in action. He theorizes that Richard is actually a female, and that her motives are less sinister than the boys originally thought. However, if his theory is true, the boys might not ever see Flipper again.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Flipper-Troubl...
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