Picture Book #25

Title:  A Symphony of Whales

Author: Steve Schuch

Illustrator: Peter Sylvada

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Picture Book

Characters: Glashka

Themes: Whales, Winter, Kindness, Music

Publishing Date: 1999

Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company

Summary:  Glashka lived in a village which was visited by a whale named Narna. One day Glashka went out to sled with the dogs and, and they headed straight for the bay. When she got there, she spotted tons of Beluga whales. They were trapped under the ice. The village chipped away at the ice to allow the whales to breathe one at a time. They try to save them until the Icebreaker can reach them. They whole village worked to feed the whales with their own food that was stored up for the winter. A ship came and tried to lead the whales out by playing a recording of other whales singing. It didn’t work. They tried all kinds of music to see if they would follow. Finally they find one that works and lead them away from the bay and ice.

I would use this book for entertainment in the classroom. This would be a good book to read before doing a lesson on Beluga whales. The book will get the children interested in learning about the whales. I would then ask the students if they would like to sponsor a whale to keep it from extinction. The class will raise money to support the whales.