What do whales eat? Fish and ships “We owe it to our children to be better stewards of the environment. The alternative? A world without whales. It’s too terrible to imagine.” — actor Pierce Brosnan BOOK REVIEW & COLORING: ‘WILLA AND THE WHALE’ What do you call a baby whale? A little squirt FUN FACTS Wonderful whale wisdom How much do you know about different species of whales? Take a look at some interesting tidbits and see if you learn something new about these majestic creatures. 1. Male humpback whales found in U.S. waters sing complex songs in winter breeding areas in waters near Hawaii, in the Caribbean, and elsewhere that can last up to 20 minutes and be heard miles away. 2. The blue whale (above) is the largest animal that ever lived and can grow to 90 or more feet and weigh as much as 24 elephants! That’s more than 330,000 pounds (150,000 kg). Underwater friendship unlocks sea of gold I ’m not a 13-year-old, but in whale. Then the whale talks back. reading “Willa and the Whale” The whale, Meg, provides a surreal (Shadow Mountain Publishing), yet charming element to the very real life I felt locked inside the head of issues of a child growing up, and serves one — with all the love, curiosas a guiding light for Willa, who can’t ity, perceptions and insecurities confide in Marco, Dad, her new family or authors Chad Morris and Shelly Brown anyone else. could muster. With Willa so tied to the ocean and all And I couldn’t break that lock, so fasits creatures, how fitting it is that Meg cinated was I with the character of young becomes Willa’s therapist, offering conWilla, what she was going through and versation, friendship and insight when the what she was thinking along the way. young girl needs it most. As we meet her, we learn her parents To further connect Willa to the ocean, are divorced and she had chosen to live in every chapter begins with a journal entry Japan with her mother, a noted marine biproviding interesting facts about differologist who has passed on her love of the ent fish, often referencing a situation on While ‘Willa and the ocean to her daughter (“It sings my soul Willa’s mind. Whale’ is a fun, song; I breathe with it. And I think with it. Willa also tends to compare people to adventuresome read, And my heart matches the rhythm.”). fish: “Hannah was cuter than a mandarin it addresses some We also learn that her mother has died fish and louder than a barking sea lion,” hard moments that suddenly and Willa must return to her and “Marc was basically an otter (dense children face. childhood roots on an island off the state fur, belongs in the water, keeps their of Washington to live with her father and his new family. snacks under their armpits for safekeeping).” Willa is thrown into a kaleidoscope of difficulty and self-doubt. She must overcome the loss of a parent, asWILLA’S LIFE LESSONS similate to a new family unit, come to terms with her dad While the book is a fun, adventuresome read, it adin his new life, struggle to reconnect with her former best dresses some hard moments that children face: death and friend Marco (now three years older) and navigate the the associated sadness and hurt, as well as the insecurities typical adolescent travails of school, relationships and of being comfortable in your own skin and trying to fit in activities. with a group of peers, which, based on their age, can be Oh, and did I mention she talks to a whale? particularly challenging. One of the book’s great storylines develops when WHEN YOUR BEST FRIEND IS A WHALE Willa discovers a beached blue whale and tries frantically Her dad is a decent, loving man, doing all he can to to seek community help and save its life. The situation support Willa in her time of need. This is difficult for exposes a number of emotions and portrays Willa in all him, trying to relate to her and be there for her even her youthful glory, working hard to think creatively and though he is not quite on her wavelength — certainly not enlist support. compared to her mother. Yet he knows enough to take Willa ultimately learns that everyone, no matter how her whale watching in an effort to help her focus on the they appear on the surface, has good within them — you things she loves. just need the will to find it. And then, when she sneaks off to the back of the boat, As her mother says in her own journal 12 years earshe faces a whale up close. “I just looked at that amazing lier, “There are 20 million tons of gold in the ocean. It’s creature and I think she looked back at me … She could right under our noses. But seeing it is nearly impossible see me … She wasn’t like plankton that just flows with because it’s dissolved ... The trick is realizing that it’s the current. She had thoughts and life and feelings.” there.” “I really needed to see you today,” Willa mutters to the — Jim Alkon, BookTrib TNS KidNews 03/26 3. Some species of whales are among the longest lived mammals. Scientists estimate bowhead whales (a baleen whale found in the Arctic) can live for more than 200 years, and killer whales (a toothed whale found in various habitats worldwide) can live for more than 100 years. 4. Beluga whales have flexible necks, allowing them to move their heads. Their complex communication repertoire of whistles, clicks, and chirps has prompted the nickname “canaries of the sea.” 5. Gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal: they travel about 10,000 miles round trip! 6. The minke whale is the smallest baleen whale in North American waters. 7. North Atlantic right whales gather small organisms near the water surface, straining seawater with their long baleen plates. The whales’ surface feeding behavior and buoyancy make them vulnerable to collisions. 8. Sperm whales were almost driven to extinction by commercial whalers who sought the whales’ blubber and the unique oil derived from the “spermaceti organ” found in their massive heads. The spermaceti organ is a key part of their echolocation system.with ships. 9. In 2014, a Cuvier’s beaked whale (above) made the deepest and longest dive ever recorded for a cetacean when it reached a depth of 1.9 miles and stayed submerged for more than 2 hours. 10. Killer whales (below) are highly social and often travel in groups that are matrifocal — a family unit focused or centered on the mother. — NOAA Fisheries. Visit fisheries.noaa.gov for more on whales and other ocean dwellers