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From School Library Journal --------------------------- PreS-Gr 1—With the encouragement of its mother, a young whale spends the day exploring, making new friends, finding shipwrecks, and swimming past glaciers, while intermittently pausing to "breathe" during its busy day. When the whale encounters a polar bear and becomes frightened, its mother soon reappears and assures its safety. This comforting tale not only gives youngsters the rtunity to explore the ocean alongside a whale but also subtly reminds them of the importance of slowing down to take a break every once in a while. Magoon's illustrations, which were rendered digitally, are vibrant and expansive, each filling a spread with vivid shades of blue. The minimal text is laid out in clear, big font, supporting the impressive illustrations without ever overshadowing them. With its succinct text and sprawling pictures, this story is perfectly suitable as a read-aloud. Pair it with Stephanie St. Pierre's What the Sea Saw (Peachtree, 2006) for a gentle, ocean-themed storytime.—Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) From Booklist ( /gp/feature.html/?docId=1000027801 ) ---------------------------------------------------- A brand new baby white whale swims off for the first time to investigate his ocean world. The playful calf frolics with puffins, jellyfish, crabs, and googly-eyed fish; sings to narwhals and squid; explores a pirate ship; and smiles at polar bears peeking through holes in the arctic ice. When he emerges out of arctic waters, his spout sprays in mists. As he dives deep, his glowing gurgles and frothy foam are sharply delineated against indigo waters. Every few pages the word breathe repeats, reminding readers that whales need to come to the surface for air. When the baby s contentedly on the back of his loving mother, he dreams under the stars and the moon in a black sky lit by blue-green northern lights. Endpapers sport duplicate pods of white whales swimming on an aqua background. Every double-page spread is filled with delights. Severalwords per page (“play all day” or “make friends”), simple shapes, and bright digitalized colors tell this story about the joys of exploring our world. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Lolly Gepson Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) See all Editorial Reviews ( /dp/product-description/1442412585/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&isInIframe=0 )