Whale Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Overharvesting, pollution, destruction of habitat, introduction of new
predators, food competitors, and other influences are causing species to
become extinct a thousand times faster than they did before humans first
appeared. This excellent series highlights some of the wildlife at risk.
Like previous volumes in the series (Tiger Rescue, Chimpanzee Rescue,
Frog Rescue, Elephant Rescue, and Panda Rescue), the books combine
spectacular photography with well-researched and superbly written prose.


The content is divided into more than two dozen short chapters, each
focusing on a specific aspect of the subject animal. In Whale Rescue,
chapters include “Giants of the Sea,” “Where Do Whales Live,”
“Humpback Songs,” “Thar She Blows,” “Saving Right Whales,”
and “Thanks, But No Tanks.” In Turtle Rescue, we have “Turtle
Territory,” “Life in the Slow Lane,” “Long Live the Turtle,”
“Captive Breeding,” and “Back to the Swamp.” The text is
followed by a section of Fast Facts, which covers everything from the
subject animal’s life span and methods of communication to its diet
and physical characteristics.

Each book contains more than 50 amazing photos that evoke a variety of
emotions. Some of the shots are breathtaking, while others are a little
disturbing because they show why this particular species is dying off.
For example, it tugs at the reader’s heart to see a photo of a fleet
of Faeroe Island fishing boats floating in a sea of whale blood as they
carry out their yearly harvest of pilot whales. Each volume explains how
young readers can get involved in helping animals survive extinction and
provides a list of websites for further information. Highly recommended.