Whales Passing

by Eve Bunting, Lambert Davis (Illustrator)

Acclaimed author Eve Bunting and illustrator Lambert Davis tell a simple story of a boy and his dad who watch from the shore as Orca whales swim by and imagine the pod's underwater life.

A young boy stands on the beach with his father. As they watch the surf, a pod of Orca whales swim by. After wondering aloud whether the whales can talk like he does, the boy then imagines the whales' conversations, and whether they are talking about him under the bubbling waves, just as he talks about them on the land.
"I bet those whales have signposts down below. An ocean mountain or a sunken ship. Maybe another whale that tells them, 'Follow me! We'll make a right at this white rock.' That is, if whales can talk."
Backmatter provides facts about these magnificent animals.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nothing especially amazing here, although I suppose if one really loves orca whales then it's cool to have a picture book about them and the author's note at the end gives some good scientific info on the whales, although nothing new to me. The pictures are good, realistic and the blues are gorgeous.

[Riana (RianaInTheStacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, this book is gorgeously illustrated and I just love this illustration style in picture books. I also feel like this more realistic style is being used less in favor of more cartoonish looking characterizations. Secondly, I love orcas so I was all about this. Thirdly, the writing is done in a very lyrical beautiful way. It is a special moment between son and dad as they watch whales and think about how they communicate with each other and what they may be saying now and what the boy and dad will say when they go home and share what they have seen. It gets a little educational talking about how whales communicate briefly, but mostly focuses on the beauty of the moment, asking questions of what we observe in nature, and communicating with each other.

[Hollison Sudduth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whales Passing was a cute book of a father and child watching whales. While watching, the son questioned things about the whales and the dad helped him figure it out. He learned about how whales communicated, breathed and also about what they are called when traveling in a group.

I would read this to my class one day. It was a really good book to introduce animals of the sea and how each of them are different. At the end of the book, it has an excerpt full of facts about whales that would be great to share with students. Overall it was a really cute book with amazing illustrations!

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy and his father watching the orcas and wondering what they notice if/ when they watch us. It is a work of fiction, but you learn a lot about orcas from it. So I still feel like it would be a good STEM/ STEAM title.

[Olivia McCorrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has very good illustrations, as well as a fun story about a young boy and his father whale watching. I think this book would be perfect for any nature/ocean themed lesson in an elementary classroom.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations! The story and dialogue was a little hard to follow. It required a lot of explaining.

[Grace Thurman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy and his father stood at the shore looking at orcas.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages 4 and up

[Mellanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story about a young boy and his father watching a pod of killer whales (orcas) frolicking in the water.

[Brittney Cayford]

This is a great nonfiction book that reviews orcas in the ocean and their characteristics.

[Liberty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I love the ocean and this could be a book I incorporate into an ocean unit or lesson in the future.

[Sydney Kalacinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is informative about Orcas in a way that will be easy for children to grasp. I also like the non-fiction portion in the back that has more information and facts about Orcas.

[Tori Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Whales Passing" by Eve Bunting is a beautifully illustrated and emotionally resonant picture book that celebrates the majestic beauty of whales. Through evocative language and stunning artwork, readers are transported to the ocean's depths to witness the awe-inspiring sight of whales passing by. Bunting's lyrical prose captures the sense of wonder and reverence that these magnificent creatures inspire, while the illustrations bring their graceful movements to life on the page. With its gentle message of environmental stewardship and appreciation for the natural world, "Whales Passing" is a captivating read for children and adults alike. This book is a poignant reminder of the importance of protecting our oceans and the incredible creatures that call them home.

[Tweller83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/12/24: This was a good, general book about Orca whales and their behaviors.

[Genny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations!

[Libby Forgues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrator: Lambert Davis
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic Inc.; First Scholastic paperback Printing edition (January 1, 2004)

This book tells a simple story of a boy and his dad who watch from the shore as Orca whales swim by. It shows that there are many different lives all around the world from people to animals. This would be a good book to integrate if you were doing an ocean lesson. I think this would also be good to have students read on their own.

[Kaylee Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Lambert Davis
ISBN-13: 9780590603584

Summary: A story about a boy and father who watch Orca whales. They imagine the life of the whales and what happens underwater.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved Orca, but I think this book does a nice job of providing info about the animals, without focusing on them being "killer whales" as a lot of people have come to know them. It also provides a good amount of background information, to utilize as an intro for discussion, or a follow-up to reading the book. I prefer the latter, and have found this to work best. It provides a great way to engage the students in learning new facts and words, while also allowing you to informally assess their ability to recall some of the information discussed throughout the book. Lastly, I feel like it is a good book to introduce the concept that human behavior can be helpful or harmful to animals, based on how we interact with their environments.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kid watches the whales and asks questions (some good examples of metaphor), and then imagines & wonders the conversation of the whales when they saw the boy (shift in point of view). The kid then imagines how he'll teach his mom what he learned today about orcas (future tense). Overall, a cute story but also presented an opportunity to explore these different literary elements. Touches on the themes of respect for other creatures and "to each his own" (the whales are amazed that humans don't value blubber). Nonfiction section at end to learn more about orcas.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 1 out of 5]

We weren't especially impressed with this. As with any parent I've read Bunting books with my daughter and I don't remember being this disenchanted with any of them. This was rather boring if I'm honest.
The pictures are nice. Unless you're kid is totally infatuated with whales, and I mean so infatuated that every waking moment is filled with whale talk and whale thoughts pass it by. She has others worth reading that aren't nearly as boring.

[Lde212_06 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whales Passing
Eve Bunting
Grade: 1
Content:
> Describes the characteristics and basic needs of a killer whale


This book describes the characteristics of killer whales. As students in the 1st grade begin to discuss the characteristics of animals, the teacher can use this book to show how the father and son observe the whales and their behavior patterns. Students can then discuss some of the characteristics of the killer whales and other animals.

[Brittany L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whales Passing is a great informational book for young readers. It includes a lot of vocabulary words that would make for a great discussion about whales. (Pod, Orca, Calf, Blubber, etc.) It is a very simple picture book with lots of rhyming, making it fun to read. This book would be great for a science unit!

[Lana Clifton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father and son stand to watch a pod of Orca whales passing. The young boy thoughtfully considers the language of whales. Beautiful illustrations and informative text weave two varying perspectives-- that of the whale, and that of the boy. Perfect book for ocean lovers or to compliment any life science unit in early elementary grades.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Eve Bunting's, but still a nice story about a boy and his father watching a pod of orca whales pass. It was very lyrical, almost too much for my taste, but the pictures were beautiful and I like that there is more information about orcas on the last page.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pass on this one. Dull.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations of orca whales, sure looks like it is set in the Pacific Northwest. Text is minimal and a bit dreamy/vahue. Helpful informational page at the end.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

very poetic, but kind of melancholy

[Finny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy says: Neat to read about orca as we plan a trip to Vancouver Island, where they will be a common sight.

[Eva Seyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a huge hit with my kids - they only asked for it once. I enjoyed it though - it has beautiful pictures.

[Patsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations for this book are pretty incredible. It is illustrated by Lambert Davis. The story is thoughtful, but I found the rhyming scheme a little off.