A Whale's World

Gr 2–5-Using large photos to depict life on the Great Bear Sea, this book follows a pod of orcas attempting to hunt seals for their daily meal. The orcas look high and low for seals to satisfy their hunger but they encounter a number of other creatures, from the wolves that dig up clams on the shores to the sharks and small fish also living in the waters, instead. As the orcas search, the seals continue to hide. Unsuccessful in their search, the orcas vanish and the book ends with the elusive seals happy to survive another day. While the title suggests a more whale-focused story, the format follows a pattern of several pages featuring other animals and then goes back occasionally to the whales and scientific facts about their lives, such as how they use spy-hopping in the water to search for food. The snapshots of the other land and sea life are interesting, but the book leaves students with little new knowledge about whales and provides more of an overview of the day in the life of the animals of the Great Bear Sea. The gorgeous photos do provide an excellent panorama and will pique readers' interest.