Humpback Whale: A First Field Guide to the Singing Giant of the Ocean

Young Zoologist

by Asha De Vos, Jialei Sun (Illustrations)

Head to the depths of the ocean to study humpback whales.

You may know that humpback whales use whale song to communicate with each other, but there’s so much more to discover about these giants of the sea! Dr. Asha de Vos explains how humpbacks use special bubble nets to catch fish, and what makes them sometimes launch themselves high out of the water.

This book also explains how hunting made humpback whales an endangered species—and how conservation efforts have seen their numbers increase again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Animals, Science, Nature, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 7, 2022

About the author

Dr. Asha de Vos is an award-winning Sri Lankan marine biologist who has pioneered long-term blue whale research in the northern Indian Ocean. She has degrees from the University of St. Andrews, University of Oxford, and the University of Western Australia. Dr. de Vos is a TED Senior Fellow and founder of Oceanswell, Sri Lanka’s first marine conservation research and education organization. Dr. de Vos aims to inspire the next generation of ocean heroes from all corners of the globe.

Reviews

[Annette Alden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amazon page says this is a book for 5-8 year olds, but there's a lot of information on the pages, so I was interested in the book level. It's too new for ARbookfinder to have. I would think even 3-5 grade children would be interested in it. I learned a lot of new facts!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title I think is for the eight to twelve year old group and of course anyone older who has an interest in whales which would be me. The double page Spears’s of topics related to the humpback whale are totally illustrated with information in smal print which is a drawback to any reader. Topics are interesting and one’s attention. Is focused one topic at a time, for instance bubble net feeding which I have seen on the surface. The information is that one whale creates the net by swimming in a circle creating a net of bubbles. The other whales swim around the net trapping fish inside and then they all open wide and ascend gulping in fish. There is a glossary and good index which covers all the terms used in the text. There is no bibliography for suggested further reading. Copyrighted in 2022 this title is part of a series published by St. Martin’s Press entitled Young Zoologist.

[Kim Stock]

Super interesting facts for kids!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome art and whale facts!

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in this series!

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trecked all the way to Waterstones Piccadilly to collect this and it was well worth it! Cute illustrations and still managed to learn something new 🥹🐋