A boy wearing a red paper crown sits on his bed reading a book about whales. Actually, based on the jacket art, he is reading this book about whales. While he becomes engrossed in it, the illustrations follow his mental pictures as his imagination takes flight. For example, when it compares the weight of a blue whale to "a heap of 55 hippopotami," he envisions himself hopping up the heap and eating an apple at the top. The red-crowned boy adds a unifying character to the sometimes fanciful visual elements of this mostly factual presentation. In a book with so little space devoted to text, it's puzzling that Desmond includes an explanation of estimating a whale's age by counting the bands of wax in its earplugs, especially since she also notes that the technique was abandoned as unethical and unreliable. There's a nice childlike sensibility to the art, which combines printed elements with cut paper, crayons, and paints. Not an essential purchase, but a good addition to science collections.

Gr 1-3 This delightful picture book provides a brief overview of these majestic creatures, from the perspective of a young boy absorbed in a volume about blue whales. (In a fun twist, the boy is revealed to be reading this very book.) Rich, warm, and imaginative, the illustrations support the clear, accessible text effectively, conveying the facts in a charming and accessible way that will easily resonate with kids. For instance, a page that states that blue whales weigh as much as 55 hippopotami is accompanied by an illustration of the boy sitting atop a pile of pachyderms, while a spread devoted to the vast quantities of milk whale calves drink features an image of 50 plastic milk jugs. Desmond includes endearing details as well, such as the boy's childlike pictures of these marine mammals, and her affection and admiration for the species is evident throughout, down to the last page, which depicts the boy asleep on a bedlike raft as a blue whale dives below the surface. VERDICT Budding cetologists will enjoy this lovingly crafted work. Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID