Wild Orca: The Oldest, Wisest Whale in the World has a little quirk that at first, I missed (looking back, it was pretty obvious). The Granny the young girl speaks of is not her Granny, but Granny the orca whale that is the matriarch of three different pods of whales called J, K and L. My first clue something was up was the fact Granny might not show up if she was busy, and since she was busy being 105 years-old, that might be the case.
Brenda Peterson created a sweet book about the orca whales and the journey they take most years. It is the story of the humans who listen to the whales, view them, research them, and try and figure out the facts of whales (such as Granny probably was born before the Titanic sank). It also speaks of the dangers the whales face (such as plastic and boats). It also brings into play the facts about the real Granny and her three families.
The illustrations of Wendell Minor are fun, detailed and an interesting feeling of the narrator, Mia, her family, the island and the animals alike. They are the perfect compliment to the story. It brings up the cozy atmosphere the people of the San Juan Islands have each year during the Orca sing.
Spoiler: They think Granny might have passed away in 2016 but at the time the book was published, September 2018, they thought one of Granny’s pod was almost 100 years old. This fact alone shows how amazing whales can be.
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