For Vega and her family, salmon is life. And Vega is learning to be a salmon finder, preparing for the day when she will be her family's matriarch. But then she and her brother Deneb are separated from their pod when a devastating earthquake and tsunami render the seascape unrecognizable. Vega must use every skill she has to lead her brother back to their family. The young orcas face a shark attack, hunger, the deep ocean, and polluted waters on their journey. Will Vega become the leader she's destined to be?
A Whale of the Wild weaves a heart-stopping tale of survival with impeccable research on a delicate ecosystem and threats to marine life. New York Times-bestselling author Rosanne Parry's fluid writing and Lindsay Moore's stunning artwork bring the Salish Sea and its inhabitants to vivid life. An excellent read-aloud and read-alone, this companion to A Wolf Called Wander will captivate fans of The One and Only Ivan and Pax.
Includes black-and-white illustrations throughout, a map, and extensive backmatter about orcas and their habitats.
"Parry creates a spellbinding, heart-stopping adventure for middle-grade readers--this time about a pod of orca whales and their plight in today's Salish Sea. . . . Parry's thorough research, observation, and creative writing combine to share the marvelous matriarchal familial world of orcas . . . Her descriptive narrative rises in intensity to match each new danger and resolves with a bittersweet yet hopeful finish. . . . Excellent." -- Booklist (starred review)
"After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure. . . . Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. . . . A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Vega is a young orca whale being trained by her mother to one day be the group's Wayfinder . . . But when she and her young brother are separated from the pod . . . Vega must use her wayfinding skills to reunite them with their elders. . . . Parry weav[es] a great deal of information about orcas and their habits into the narrative." -- School Library Journal
"After just a few pages, readers will be completely immersed in the underwater world of Rosanne Parry's A Whale of the Wild . . . [Parry] skillfully incorporates details about orcas as well as the many threats to their existence. . . . A Whale of the Wild offers brisk drama alongside insight and wisdom, demonstrating the vital importance of taking care of each other and the world we live in--above and below the surface." -- BookPage.com
Rosanne Parry is the author of the bestselling novels A Wolf Called Wander, A Whale of the Wild, and A Horse Named Sky as well as The Wolf Effect, a picture book illustrated by Jennifer Thermes. These "Voice of the Wilderness" stories center the voices of wild animals and focus on their struggle to survive in a dangerous and changing world. Based on rigorous research and inspired by the real animals of the western United States, Rosanne's books are treasured by teachers and librarians and adored by animal-loving readers of all ages. The author lives with her family in Portland, Oregon, and writes in a treehouse in her backyard.
Lindsay Moore studied marine biology and fine art at Southampton College on Long Island and figure drawing at the Art Students League of New York and earned her master's of science in medical and scientific illustration from Medical College of Georgia, now Augusta University. Her picture books include Sea Bear and Yoshi and the Ocean, and she illustrated Rosanne Parry's bestselling novel A Whale of the Wild. Lindsay Moore lives with her family in Northern Michigan.
Target Age: 8-12
Greenwillow Books
Pub Date: August 31, 2021
Target Age: 8-12
1.1" H x 8.2" L x 5.4" W
336 pages
paperback