Elisa Escuchaba El Canto de Las Ballenas

Gr 2-4-Puerto Cangrejo, a picturesque little town on the Sea of Cortez, needs a new lighthouse. Young Elisa, bright and visionary, thinks up ways to raise the money, but none quite work out as intended. When she and her friends try to create souvenirs by painting rocks to look like animals, their creations are so realistic that they become real they swim, fly, and walk away. Her next vision, seen in a dream, is that whales will come and attract tourists. After the children build a large whale out of sand, real whales do indeed come, attracting tourists as planned, but also beaching themselves. It takes some paint and some granting of life to the sand whale to solve the problem, but the creatures are shoved back out to sea, and the lighthouse is built. This New Age fable borders on the saccharine, but it does serve as an interesting potential discussion-starter for younger readers. The text is poetic and dreamy. The frequent soft watercolor illustrations, though a bit amateurish, extend the story, and the layout is appealing. Suitable as a fictional introduction to the study of whales or as a reassuring bedtime story, this is a decent secondary purchase for school libraries. Bookstores may want to consider carefully, as the quiet story might not have broad-based appeal. Ann Welton, Grant Center for the Expressive Arts, Tacoma, WA