If I Were a Whale: A Board Book for Toddlers Ages 1-3

by Shelley Gill, Erik Brooks (Illustrator)

Overview

From best-selling children’s author Shelley Gill comes this colorful, rhyming board book playfully featuring whales found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. Toddlers will love learning about whales swimming in the deep blue sea in this beautifully illustrated board book that shares simple whale facts in an imaginative way.
 
If I could be anything, do you know what I’d be? I’d be a whale in the deep blue sea.
Scooping up fishes and flipping my tail, I’d be a minke or beluga whale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632171047
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	02/21/2017
Series:	If I Were Board Books for Toddlers , #1
Pages:	22
Product dimensions:	6.51(w) x 6.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

SHELLEY GILL was the fifth woman to complete the Iditarod race. When she’s not writing, Shelley travels to schools around the country where she covers a variety of topics—from whale watching to how she thinks up her writing ideas.
 
ERIK BROOKS spent much of his childhood in Anchorage, AK, where he explored the outdoors and had Alaskan experiences such as seeing the occasional moose wandering through the yard and getting run over by a dog sled. He still loves getting out into nature with his family and his handsome mutt of a dog, Max.

Editorial Reviews

"Sure to make a splash with young nature lovers."
—School Library Journal

"Rhyming text introduces youngsters to a smattering of whales."
—Kirkus Reviews 

"Full of color, rhyming, and fish fun… offers a simple introduction on whale facts."
—Parenting Healthy

"If I Were a Whale takes readers on an imaginative journey through the world’s oceans discovering what it’s like to be one of these fascinating swimmers."
—Wild Tales Of

" The illustrations are vivid and very eye catching… This book is the perfect length for a bedtime story."
—My Silly Little Gang

"Darling… such a cute story."
—Northwest Healthy Mama

"The perfect mix of rhyming poetry and scientific facts."
—Unleashing Readers

"Toddlers will love to learn about whales swimming in the deep blue sea in this beautifully illustrated board book that shares simple whale facts in an imaginative way."
—SoCal City Kids

"A great introduction to some of the most fascinating mammals on the planet and it’s one that adults are bound to enjoy as much as children."
—Book Nerd Mommy

"If you have a little one who loves marine animals, or are simply looking for a fun board book that is written in a rhyming scheme and will keep your little one’s attention, why not consider picking up If I Were a Whale by Shelley Gill today?" 
—Inspired By Savannah

From the Publisher

2017-05-01
Rhyming text introduces youngsters to a smattering of whales. Unfortunately, it's not particularly good rhyme, nor are the whales introduced with enough context to make the information meaningful to a toddler audience. "I might be a gray whale with barnacles on my chin / Or a sleek, slender fin whale. Think how fast I'd swim." To these bloodless rhymes are paired equally anemic watercolor illustrations. The nature of whale coloration and their marine habitat combine for spreads that are dominated by grays and pale blues, the lack of contrast making for a singularly uncompelling visual experience. Weeds and other sea life add some mild pops of color, but they are so watery they don't make much of an impression. In addition to the aforementioned gray and fin whales, Gill packs an impressive number of whale species in: minke, beluga, pilot, blue, beaked, orca, humpback, and—"Narwhals have tusks. Tusks might come in handy. / Right whales sail with their tails. Wouldn't that be dandy?" Ouch. The book's heart is in the right place, but its execution serves neither subject nor audience even adequately. (Board book. 1-3)

Kirkus Reviews