The Blue Whale

Writing in a voice that’s both calming and direct, Desmond studies “the largest living creature on our planet,” the blue whale. With a boy in a striped shirt and red crown as a guide, Desmond discusses the whale’s size, how it eats, and its various capabilities, in sentences that seem destined to leave readers’ jaws permanently dropped (“A blue whale’s tongue weighs three tons, and its mouth is so big that 50 people can stand inside it”). Desmond’s mixed-media images exude warmth and quiet humor: explaining how a whale feeds, an illustration of the animal features two arrows, one pointing out its expanded ventral pleats, the other noting “krill and water in here.” A thorough, rewarding tribute to a majestic animal. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)