Whale Quest: Working Together To Save Endangered Species

Gr 7 Up—Whales have long captured the human imagination, from the Old Testament story of Jonah and the whale to Herman Melville's Moby-Dick to the 1993 film Free Willy. Young explores these majestic animals in 10 fact-filled chapters. Readers learn about the whale family tree and the 80-plus whale species that exist, as well as how these animals eat, breathe, mate, and migrate. The author also examines the booming whaling industry of the 19th century and its devastating effects on global whale populations. Subsequent chapters focus on the efforts of organizations such as the International Whaling Commission to protect whales and the attempts of cetologists to research and understand whales in order to better safeguard them and the oceans they inhabit. Interspersed throughout the text are photographs and "Whale To Watch" sidebars that highlight individual specific cases. An extensive amount of back matter concludes the volume.