Who doesn’t like whales? If you’ve seen whales I would guess that the memory remains strong in your mind and that it brings you pleasure. I’ve seen a few whales in my time, from Iceland to the Azores, and off the Pacific coasts of the USA and of Australia. I’m really glad that I’ve seen whales.
This book tells the reader a lot about whales. I thought it might be a bit dull but I was wrong – I enjoyed it greatly. The author lays out the structure of the book right from the beginning and then each chapter deals with a different aspect of whales’ biology. I hardly skipped a page because I kept finding things of interest. The author says enough to be interesting and not so much that something that started as being interesting becomes less so as you read on – that shows great restraint from a writer!
Did you know (I admit I didn’t) that whales’ blowholes are under voluntary control which means that sleeping is a bit tricky as you, the whale, need to exhale quite often and that means being awake. How whales manage this is described on p61 (but think Swift for the solution).
This is not a field guide or a guide to where to see whales but if you have seen whales and want to see them again it is a good taster so that you understand even better the treat you have in store.
The cover? The cover shows a variety of whales with no mucking about. That’s what the book is about and that’s what the cover signals. I’d give the cover 8/10.
Whale: the illustrated biography by Asha de Vos is published by Princeton University Press.
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