Whales in the City

by Nancy F. Castaldo, Chuck Groenink (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of If Sharks Disappeared, this kid-friendly picture book is a true story about how community action saved the whales of New York Harbor and reversed the effects of climate change.

Spanning from pre-colonization to today, learn how the industrial revolution, overfishing, and pollution drove whales away from New York Harbor and the Hudson River by the early 20th Century.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Passionate citizens were able to band together and clean up the harbor through activism and legislation. The first whales were spotted in the Hudson after over 100 years in 2019!

Here is an uplifting environmental success story full of towering skyscrapers and underwater dramatics that highlights the power of community – voicing to readers of all ages that each of us can make a difference. Also includes backmatter on whales and water pollution around the country.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374308568
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	03/18/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.20(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Nancy Castaldo is an environmental educator and award-winning author, who has written books about our planet for over 20 years from New York’s Hudson Valley. Her books include The Farm That Feeds Us, The Story of Seeds, and Sniffer Dogs.

Chuck Groenink is the illustrator of many children’s books including Hank's Big Day by Evan Kuhlman and The Library Book by Tom Chapin and Michael Mark. He grew up in the Netherlands, where he spent his formative years climbing trees, drawing, reading, and cycling. He now resides in the United States, going from Portland, Oregon, to Kinderhook, New York where he lives with his wife, dog, three cats, and several rowdy chickens.

Editorial Reviews

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"As well as a history lesson here, the text—emphasizing the BIG creatures, problems, protests, and ideas that make this story—shows the importance of standing up for nature and that change is possible. The heartening tale is accompanied by detailed watercolor illustrations that show snapshots of history and wonderfully underscore the majesty of whales." —Booklist, starred review

"Citizen activism takes on industrial pollution in the Hudson River and makes way for whales to return to New York Harbor in this historical picture book." —Publishers Weekly

"In Groenink’s art, humpbacks arc with sinuous grace through sludgy (later sparkling) waters... A sincere record of an environmental success story." —Kirkus

"Evocative illustrations and easy-to-understand text bring this story of whales living in the Hudson River in New York to life... fascinating and accessible story about whales and the water they live in. Great for a read-aloud, especially for Earth Day." —School Library Journal

"The textured gouache and graphite illustrations often spread across two pages, encompassing both the hugeness of the whales and the city that grows behind them... simultaneously respects the existence of whales entirely out of human context while still making clear the connection between the natural world and the human world." —BCCB

"Offers hope for aspiring citizen activists and makes a compelling case for taking the long view and not giving up the fight." —Horn Book

From the Publisher

Tara Novie's youthful voice reflects a sense of wonder for the topic of this audiobook: whales. While her bright delivery contrasts with the somberness of those majestic animals that were pushed out of former habitats by human expansion, she does convey a sense of hope as the Hudson River flows clear again and the whales return. In the second part of the audiobook, Novie's tone becomes more grounded as she details historical and environmental insights relating to the Hudson Highlands River's troubled past and activism that led to the 1972 Clean Water Act. Novie conveys the urgency of this environmental issue and humanity's role in shaping an optimistic future. M.F. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2025 - AudioFile

2024-12-28
Driven from the waters around New York by pollution and overfishing, whales have come back in the wake of a concerted clean-up campaign.

In a somewhat disjointed yet heartening narrative that abruptly switches collective voice midstream from a cetacean “we” to a human one, Castaldo describes how New York (“A great BIG city. Bigger than us great BIG whales”) grew to became a hostile place for marine life, its waters “sickly sweet with smelly, stinky waste.” So away the whales went, until people began cleaning up the trash. “We protested, marched, and voted.” Thanks to concerted efforts and the 1972 Clean Water Act, aquatic populations began to grow again. “We marveled at our river with pride,” and the whales, too, returned. In Groenink’s art, humpbacks arc with sinuous grace through sludgy (later sparkling) waters, poking their heads up to peer back at boatloads of whale watchers. As noted in a dense afterword—which also includes a timeline to 2022 and tributes to some of the activists who led the Hudson River cleanup—sei, North Atlantic fin, and right whales have recently been spotted, too. The groups and crowds of (human) New Yorkers in the illustrations are realistically diverse.

A sincere record of an environmental success story. (source list, suggested activities)(Informational picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews