Brunelle, Lynn. Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall. Jason Chin, Illus. Neal Porter, 06/2024. [48]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-82345-228-6. GRADES Kindergarten–4. OUTSTANDING.
Readers follow an elderly blue whale as she takes her last meal, expires, and sinks to the sea floor. What happens next is astonishing – a cascade of life, as a new ecosystem is formed and then passes through three distinct phases over the next one hundred and fifty years. Young readers will find their understanding forever shifted, discovering that what lives a mile down is both deeply disturbing and entirely essential. Superbly realistic watercolor illustrations, in atmospheric blues, are strategically enlivened by rare spots of color and multi-hued explanatory drawings and diagrams. Compelling descriptions and captivating marine facts are supported by substantial back matter offering more information on whales and ecosystems, suggested reading, and selected bibliography.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired