A WHALE'S WORLD

A pod of hungry orcas seeking a seal or sea lion see many other creatures in the Great Bear Sea in British Columbia—but not lunch.

This is the fourth in a series of strikingly illustrated titles in a series about the Great Bear Rainforest that features the work of resident photographer McAllister. In a way, it echoes part of the story of its most recent predecessor, The Seal Garden (2018), again documenting the relationship between predator and prey. The pictures are the main attraction. These eye-catching images, in varying sizes from double-page spreads to vignettes, are mostly appropriate to the text, which includes informational nuggets about the animals shown: seals and sea lions, of course, plus grizzly and black bears, a wolf, a fin whale, a shark, a dolphin, some salmon and smaller fish, eagles, puffins, an octopus, sea stars, and more. (Curiously, a pair of shorebirds feeding in one splendid full-page picture isn’t identified.) Telling his story from the orca’s perspective, Read imagines some human thoughts: “The orca is getting frustrated. Where are the seals and sea lions? How will she and her pod fill their bellies if they don’t find something to eat? She decides to look above the water again.” This is consistent with the anthropomorphic tone of the series, which is designed for quite young readers and listeners.

Another attractive nature book for settings where previous titles have been popular.