Life after Whale pictures the phenomenon of “Whale Fall”: how the earth’s largest living creature supports thriving ecosystems for decades after death.
Life after Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin. Neal Porter Books (Holiday House), 2024, 48 pages.
Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8
Recommended for: ages 5-10
A blue whale, earth’s largest living creature, glides majestically through the ocean. Year after year, she migrates north to south and back again, feeds on unimaginable quantities of tiny sea creatures, mates and reproduces. But all lives eventually end, and at 90 years the whale is slowing down, eating less. Eventually she dies. But death to a whale is life to hundreds of other creatures, from the birds and fish that feed on her bloated body all the way down to the deep-sea worms that colonize her bones.
“Whale fall” is the term for a whale’s literal sinking to the ocean floor after its body loses buoyancy. In three distinct phases, creation makes use of this natural phenomenon, from the active scavengers to the plantlike organisms introduced over a hundred years later. The process may seem brutal to sensitive readers, but others will be fascinated by the ways God provides for the cycles of life. The text is clear and stylish and Jason Chin provides his usual excellence in the sweeping, colorful illustrations. As a bonus, there’s no mention of evolution.
Bottom Line: A fascinating look at a corner of creation most of us never suspected.
Also at Redeemed Reader:
- Reviews: Other books by Jason Chin include The Universe in You, Water is Water (starred review), Grand Canyon, and Gravity.
- Reviews: Whalesong, a classic fiction trilogy and Song for a Whale, a recent middle-grade novel about a deaf girl’s connection with whale life.
- Review: And another picture-book whale story: The Whale Who Swam through Time.
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