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The Story Of Three Wales Whittell G
Describes how the concerted efforts of an international team of concerned people eased the suffering of three gray whales trapped by ice off the coast of Alaska and eventually helped two of them back to the open sea.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 20, 2019
Just beautiful.
May 12, 2011
This is a book from my childhood, but its story is timeless and it retains its educational value. Three Whales is the true story of a small pod of gray whales who became trapped under the thick, unforgiving Arctic ice in the late 1980s. A multi-national team assembled to break the ice and free the hapless animals.
Three Whales is a wonderful humane resource for several reasons. Early in the story, we learn that the Inuit who originally spotted the whales expected that they would die; it was not until the story was picked up by the international news media that the call to free the whales was raised. This raises the ideal of not giving up in the face of adversity, as well as the vast import of the media to bring attention to animal welfare issues. The fact that team workers of several nations put their differences aside to break the ice is a wonderful lesson in tolerance and the benefit of mutually working together toward a positive outcome. Of interest is the fact that the Russians, whose huge ice-breaking ship finally freed the animals, had a longstanding commercial whaling industry. Why these whales? Can traditions change? Also good discussion points for older students.
The story of these trapped gray whales is testament to the ways in which compassion and team work makes a better world for all of us. However, my one concern with this book rests with the rather dull and uninteresting illustrations. If Whales were to be reprinted today, no doubt some more vibrant color drawings would be used.
Three Whales is a wonderful humane resource for several reasons. Early in the story, we learn that the Inuit who originally spotted the whales expected that they would die; it was not until the story was picked up by the international news media that the call to free the whales was raised. This raises the ideal of not giving up in the face of adversity, as well as the vast import of the media to bring attention to animal welfare issues. The fact that team workers of several nations put their differences aside to break the ice is a wonderful lesson in tolerance and the benefit of mutually working together toward a positive outcome. Of interest is the fact that the Russians, whose huge ice-breaking ship finally freed the animals, had a longstanding commercial whaling industry. Why these whales? Can traditions change? Also good discussion points for older students.
The story of these trapped gray whales is testament to the ways in which compassion and team work makes a better world for all of us. However, my one concern with this book rests with the rather dull and uninteresting illustrations. If Whales were to be reprinted today, no doubt some more vibrant color drawings would be used.
May 19, 2011
I'd say between 3 and 4 stars. Very well done illustrations, and the text is almost as a newspaper article. I had no idea it was a children's book, and it's good to expose children to real life stories as well, I believe
July 30, 2014
Well written for younger students.
June 3, 2016
"I was happy that they got the whales out, but sad that the baby whale died."
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews