Narwhal

August 15, 2022
A pod of narwhals making its annual migration is the frame for this introduction to a most unusual sea mammal. Anderson, who produced a BBC program on the springtime melting of Arctic ice that marked the first time narwhal migration was captured on film, draws from that experience to create this intriguing nature title. Narwhals are unique members of the whale family; males (and a few females) have a single tooth, a tusk that grows out like a 6-foot spear, hence the sobriquet the Arctic unicorn (tuskless narwhals have no teeth at all). Anderson's story follows a pod from their deep sea winter home as they travel north to the high Arctic islands, where they will spend their summer, and back (a map in the backmatter traces the route along Canada's Baffin Island), focusing on its leader, an older male. There's suspense, as the open path through the ice closes up and the narwhals, which breathe air, must find another hole. Predators appear. A baby is born. Additional facts about the species appear in a smaller font on each spread. The text is set directly on striking full-bleed images, contrasting the dark depths with surprising colors in the sky and the summer light. Weaver works in charcoal, a medium particularly suited for the shadowy underwater pictures, but the blue skies and white ice of her Arctic vistas are equally appealing. An afterword touches on threats to the species from climate change. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An inviting glimpse into an unfamiliar world. (further information, index) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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September 15, 2022
Grades K-3 The opening pages set the frozen scene of Anderson's beautifully illustrated look at one of nature's oddest creatures. It is winter in the Arctic, where a large gathering of narwhals surface at the edge of the ice beneath which they have been fishing for months. A large-sized font relates a fictionalized narrative of the movements of this narwhal pod as it embarks on its annual migration, while a smaller font relays more detailed scientific facts about this unique creature, their environment, their use of echolocation to navigate in the dark, their predators and prey, and more. Weaver's charcoal and digitally colored images include close-ups of narwhals and other Arctic animals as well as sweeping views of the frigid landscape. The art works wonderfully with the text to impart an appreciation for this toothed whale to kids across a wide range of reading levels, and all is solidly grounded in facts about the narwhal's life and the dangers it faces (more fully described in a higher-level afterword). A great choice for science shelves.

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Starred review from September 30, 2022

PreS-Gr 4-Beautifully illustrated, this narrative nonfiction book about narwhals is sure to please budding marine scientists. Anderson tells the story of an old male narwhal making his way to the northern end of his habitat along with the rest of his pod. Surprising facts blend with conjecture because narwhals haven't been studied enough to fully understand all their behaviors. The small bites of text on every page make this ideal for younger or less-proficient readers, but the story is so well written, with some interesting plot twists, that older children will like it, too. The book may also serve as an excellent introduction to a discussion of animal life cycles, adaptations, or climate change. The artwork is gorgeously rendered, with realistic images of narwhals in their habitat as well as some of their predators. VERDICT A must-have for elementary nonfiction collections.-Debbie Tanner

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October 24, 2022
Anderson traces the migratory path of a narwhal pod over a year in the Arctic in this fact-filled story. As winter ends, an “old narwhal” guides a pod on a dangerous monthslong journey north, following a maze of ice breaks to the high Arctic islands where the group summers before they head south in autumn. En route, “their long tusks spearing the waves,” the males spar, a calf is born, polar bears and killer whales threaten, and the narwhals perform species-specific behaviors such as echolocation. Material in a smaller font accompanies with genuinely interesting scientific facts (“When echolocating, a narwhal can click more than a thousand times per second”). Moody charcoal artwork, colored digitally in murky shades, lends a timeless aspect to ocean scenes of the subject. A brief note and index conclude. Ages 5–7.