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Trapped!: A Whale's Rescue
A giant whale trapped in nets and ropes. Can she be helped?
A humpback whale migrating south along the California coast becomes tangled in a fishing trawler’s ropes and nets. As she struggles to free herself, the ropes twist more tightly around her body, digging into her skin. The whale fights until she is too tired to continue. What happens next will astound and inspire.
Based on true events, this is a story of interspecies cooperation and the importance of human responsibility to protect the earth and its many inhabitants.
Wendell Minor’s breathtaking paintings illustrate the majesty of the gentle humpback whale in her blue-green undersea world and the amazing efforts of humans—creatures a mere fraction of her size—who risked their lives to save her. Back matter includes the story behind the story, further information about humpback whales, and facts about whale rescue efforts
A humpback whale migrating south along the California coast becomes tangled in a fishing trawler’s ropes and nets. As she struggles to free herself, the ropes twist more tightly around her body, digging into her skin. The whale fights until she is too tired to continue. What happens next will astound and inspire.
Based on true events, this is a story of interspecies cooperation and the importance of human responsibility to protect the earth and its many inhabitants.
Wendell Minor’s breathtaking paintings illustrate the majesty of the gentle humpback whale in her blue-green undersea world and the amazing efforts of humans—creatures a mere fraction of her size—who risked their lives to save her. Back matter includes the story behind the story, further information about humpback whales, and facts about whale rescue efforts
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2015
3 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Robert Burleigh
73 books47 followersOver the past 35 years, I have published poems, reviews, essays, many filmstrips and videos, and more than 40 children's picture books.
Born and raised in Chicago, I graduated from DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana) and later received an MA in humanities from the University of Chicago. I've published books for children since the early 1990s. My books - including numerous unpublished ones! - run a broad gamut, from stories geared for pre-schoolers to survival stories and biographies aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds. My work is wide-ranging because, basically, I'm a generalist by experience - and inclination!
In addition to writing, I paint regularly under the art name Burleigh Kronquist and have shown work in one-person and group shows in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere around the country.
-from robertburleigh.com
Born and raised in Chicago, I graduated from DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana) and later received an MA in humanities from the University of Chicago. I've published books for children since the early 1990s. My books - including numerous unpublished ones! - run a broad gamut, from stories geared for pre-schoolers to survival stories and biographies aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds. My work is wide-ranging because, basically, I'm a generalist by experience - and inclination!
In addition to writing, I paint regularly under the art name Burleigh Kronquist and have shown work in one-person and group shows in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere around the country.
-from robertburleigh.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
June 1, 2019
When a humpback whale becomes entangled in some abandoned fishing nets, her life is endangered as she slowly grows too tired to rise to the surface of the ocean to get air. A human rescue team arrives on the scene, but they must proceed cautiously as they try to free her from this terrible trap. One roll of her massive body, and the human rescuers could be crushed! Fortunately they persevere, managing to rescue the whale while remaining safe themselves...
Based upon a real-life whale rescue off the coast of California in 2005, Trapped!: A Whale's Rescue is enough of a true story, despite its fictional trappings, that I added it to my children's non-fiction shelf. That said, it does straddle the line between fiction and non-fiction. However that may be, it is still a gripping story, one which will involve child readers and listeners, who will be rooting for the whale's rescue. The illustrations, done by Wendell Minor, who often works on books with an ecological theme, are just lovely, adding to the reader's enjoyment and sense of involvement. The final scene, in which the whale is leaping into the air, with the moon rising behind her, is simply magical. Informative back-matter, including suggestions for further reading, add to the educational value of a title that also has appeal as an entertaining tale. Recommended to young whale and nature-lovers, and to those looking for quality picture-books for them.
Based upon a real-life whale rescue off the coast of California in 2005, Trapped!: A Whale's Rescue is enough of a true story, despite its fictional trappings, that I added it to my children's non-fiction shelf. That said, it does straddle the line between fiction and non-fiction. However that may be, it is still a gripping story, one which will involve child readers and listeners, who will be rooting for the whale's rescue. The illustrations, done by Wendell Minor, who often works on books with an ecological theme, are just lovely, adding to the reader's enjoyment and sense of involvement. The final scene, in which the whale is leaping into the air, with the moon rising behind her, is simply magical. Informative back-matter, including suggestions for further reading, add to the educational value of a title that also has appeal as an entertaining tale. Recommended to young whale and nature-lovers, and to those looking for quality picture-books for them.
September 25, 2019
I was a bit distressed at first when mum was reading this book to me, but thankfully it had a happy ending. Lots of interesting info about the whales as well, I really liked it.
August 18, 2022
I want to call this book "delightful" because I so enjoyed reading it - even though it's about a potentially tragic situation- a true account of a whale that is caught in fishing nets and would have died if not rescued by trained divers who cut it free. What made the book delightful was its flow and the beautiful language the author employs - "The huge humpback whale dips and dives. Her sleek black sides shimmering, she spyhops, lobtails, flashes her flukes." (While this vocabulary would be difficult for our EL students--requiring a lot of teaching, it would be a nice stretch for our native language speakers with a lot of potential teaching for stretching their own vocabulary.)
LOVED the author notes at the end. I'd read the book AND the author notes aloud--to late kinder through 3rd grade.
This book could be the launch of a unit of study on human impact on the environment, etc. It could serve as a writing mentor for descriptive writing - maybe recreating an event based on an initial news article. It could be used as one source to compare with other sources on this event. I searched "December 11, 2005 humpback whale caught in nets" and immediately found some good links including video.
Lots of potential here and a book to JUST ENJOY!!!
If you want to entice independent/partner readers, you might offer this TEASER: If a whale got caught in a fisherman's net, would it die? Would you try to rescue it? How?
LOVED the author notes at the end. I'd read the book AND the author notes aloud--to late kinder through 3rd grade.
This book could be the launch of a unit of study on human impact on the environment, etc. It could serve as a writing mentor for descriptive writing - maybe recreating an event based on an initial news article. It could be used as one source to compare with other sources on this event. I searched "December 11, 2005 humpback whale caught in nets" and immediately found some good links including video.
Lots of potential here and a book to JUST ENJOY!!!
If you want to entice independent/partner readers, you might offer this TEASER: If a whale got caught in a fisherman's net, would it die? Would you try to rescue it? How?
August 24, 2016
This is a lovely picture book about the rescue of a humpback whale from ropes and nets left in the ocean. It is based on a true story and shows how destructive that type of thing can be to ocean life. It also shows how animals can sense when humans are helping them or hurting them. This whale let the divers free him and then acknowledged the help it was given. The illustrations are as lovely as the story.
July 3, 2015
May have been a little too old for Kathryn, but nice story about rescuing a trapped humpback whale.
September 25, 2021
Beautiful paintings and a sweet story of rescue.
November 30, 2022
Good mentor text for central idea!
June 15, 2015
A wild whale is jumping, swimming and enjoying lots of krill to eat in the ocean waters. But then she runs into discarded netting from a crab fisherman floating in the water. The net catches her, cutting into her mouth and making swimming difficult. The a boat motor sound comes and along with it a group of humans who are hoping to rescue the huge animal. But it is so dangerous being near an animal of that size where even small motions can cause injuries to the rescuers. Still, they work close to the whale and begin to cut her free. They swim away if necessary and touch her with gentleness and care. Eventually the ropes and netting fall away and the whale is free to swim again. To say thanks, she gently touches each of her human rescuers before jumping for joy.
Burleigh’s text contains lots of information but it is presented through the lens of a story. This is a tale of one very fortunate whale, rescued in time from the netting. It is a story of wild freedom at first and then a desperate struggle and then impossible hope that she will survive after all. This is a real drama played out on the pages, from the danger to the whale to then the danger to her rescuers solely from her size. The final pages of the book offer resources about rescuing trapped whales and talk more about the dangers and about the whales themselves too.
Minor’s art is luscious on the page, taking readers under the water alongside the whale. There we float as the water changes colors and the light changes. Minor makes sure the show the size of the whale and of the humans on the same page, so that children will understand the size of the animal. It is beautifully and touchingly done.
An inspiring tale of the difference that even a small group of people can make in sustainability and saving animals, this picture book is a compelling mix of story and fact. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
Burleigh’s text contains lots of information but it is presented through the lens of a story. This is a tale of one very fortunate whale, rescued in time from the netting. It is a story of wild freedom at first and then a desperate struggle and then impossible hope that she will survive after all. This is a real drama played out on the pages, from the danger to the whale to then the danger to her rescuers solely from her size. The final pages of the book offer resources about rescuing trapped whales and talk more about the dangers and about the whales themselves too.
Minor’s art is luscious on the page, taking readers under the water alongside the whale. There we float as the water changes colors and the light changes. Minor makes sure the show the size of the whale and of the humans on the same page, so that children will understand the size of the animal. It is beautifully and touchingly done.
An inspiring tale of the difference that even a small group of people can make in sustainability and saving animals, this picture book is a compelling mix of story and fact. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
August 15, 2015
Trapped: A Whale's Rescue, is based on a true event which occurred in the icy waters near San Francisco on December 11, 2005.
After a crabber's fishing net was left in the waters of the Pacific ocean, a humpback whale, swimming and feeding on krill became wrapped in the large nets. The ropes were cutting into her mouth and wrapped around her fins making it impossible for her to swim free and breathe normally.
Despite the fact that mammals such as these can be unpredictable when they feel threatened or frightened, a team of rescuers and divers worked tirelessly to free the frightened whale. More than 20 ropes were wrapped around the frightened whale. When all was said and done, no divers were injured and before the freed whale swam off, she circled the divers and gently nudged each one as if to show her appreciation.
I really enjoyed this story and felt it would make a great addition to school and public library collections. The painting-like illustrations seem to come alive on each page so that you can almost feel the leathery skin of the whale. The illustrations help to show just how scared the whale must have been when the nets restricted her ability to swim and even breathe.
In the back of the book there is lots of interesting information on the humpback whale --for example, the humpback has lungs the size of a small car; females weigh around 50 tons; life span 40-50 years and the heart weighs 400+pounds.
June 1, 2015
It may be one of the largest creatures on Earth, but the Humpback Whale is no less in danger than some of the smallest, and it's all because of us. Trapped! A Whale's Rescue is based on the true story of one whale who got caught in fisherman's nets off the coast of San Francisco in 2005. The author starts by showing us how far these majestic creatures roam, we then naturally compare this to its fixed state when tangled, and as a result its plight feels very real to us. Minor's paintings, which are somewhere between impressionistic and photo-realistic, perfectly complement Burleigh's beautifully descriptive text. It informs us of all we need to know to understand the immediate story, however there is plenty of extra information and resources in the back. While it is sad to see the harm we caused this whale, the author choose this example for a reason. The whale survived; people took responsibility and rescued it, not all sea mammals are so lucky. Even with this reminder, the tone leans towards the positive side. Whales are generally gentle creatures, but in terms of size it is a risky endeavour for a human to approach one, and yet it seems these divers find it rewarding. The whale stayed, and maybe, as we would like to believe, it was showing its gratitude.
June 7, 2016
Burleigh, R., & Minor, W. (n.d.). Trapped!: A whale's rescue.
Readers follow a humpback whale through her life and watch in horror as she becomes entangled in a fishing net, something that proves to be fatal for a lot of marine life. As we see her struggle, we are then relieved to see rescue divers come to save her. Whales are dangerous and it can be dangerous trying to help one, but they end up freeing her and she thanks her in a nonverbal way and is finally free. The illustrations in this book are very realistic which allows students to see in detail what is going on and how the illustrator captured the emotions of the whale. I liked this story because I love the ocean and this shows the dark side of what can happen to marine life on account of the pollution caused by humans. This would be a really good book to show students to give them a different perspective of what they know to be the fishing industry and show them what can happen to beautiful animals like whales, and the rewards you get for trying to help as much as you can. It would be a good transition int studies of the ocean or pollution.
Readers follow a humpback whale through her life and watch in horror as she becomes entangled in a fishing net, something that proves to be fatal for a lot of marine life. As we see her struggle, we are then relieved to see rescue divers come to save her. Whales are dangerous and it can be dangerous trying to help one, but they end up freeing her and she thanks her in a nonverbal way and is finally free. The illustrations in this book are very realistic which allows students to see in detail what is going on and how the illustrator captured the emotions of the whale. I liked this story because I love the ocean and this shows the dark side of what can happen to marine life on account of the pollution caused by humans. This would be a really good book to show students to give them a different perspective of what they know to be the fishing industry and show them what can happen to beautiful animals like whales, and the rewards you get for trying to help as much as you can. It would be a good transition int studies of the ocean or pollution.
April 22, 2015
Play-by-play coverage of a whale rescue. Each action leading up to the whale being trapped was ripe with emotion and the feverish page turns until the whale was eventually freed really put the readers there in the thick of it all.
This story was based on a real event as mentioned in the back matter, but the author does a great job of really making this book a story and infusing it with real facts. The result is a highly readable text that inspires further exploration of the subject.
Back matter consists of fun facts about whales, more behind the true story that inspired this book, and a list of books and websites for further study of this subject.
Gouache illustrations are incredibly realistic and showcase not only the beauty of the creatures and their environment, but also the huge size difference between whale and rescuer when a whale is in danger. Seeing the proportions here really helped me appreciate the deadly work rescuers enter into when saving whales.
Highly recommended for sharing with PreK-3.
This story was based on a real event as mentioned in the back matter, but the author does a great job of really making this book a story and infusing it with real facts. The result is a highly readable text that inspires further exploration of the subject.
Back matter consists of fun facts about whales, more behind the true story that inspired this book, and a list of books and websites for further study of this subject.
Gouache illustrations are incredibly realistic and showcase not only the beauty of the creatures and their environment, but also the huge size difference between whale and rescuer when a whale is in danger. Seeing the proportions here really helped me appreciate the deadly work rescuers enter into when saving whales.
Highly recommended for sharing with PreK-3.
December 4, 2015
There is a beautiful humpback whale swimming in the sea. She finds herself getting stuck in fishing nets and tries to escape out only getting more trapped. Eventually, there are people and boats coming to save her. However, they have to be very careful to cut her loose because in one moment the whale can get really scared, panic, and the rescuers will find themselves in a whole lot of trouble. After a intense rescue mission she is released successfully.
Reader Response/Classroom Connections: This story can also help teach students about sea animals specifically humpback whales. This book can also be used to show that there are whales becoming endangered because of hunting. This book can be used to get students involved in a cause. Another topic they can use this book for is to study the ocean.
Note: part of my sea animal (specifically mammals) theme for science.
Reader Response/Classroom Connections: This story can also help teach students about sea animals specifically humpback whales. This book can also be used to show that there are whales becoming endangered because of hunting. This book can be used to get students involved in a cause. Another topic they can use this book for is to study the ocean.
Note: part of my sea animal (specifically mammals) theme for science.
February 9, 2017
The best things about this book are its gorgeous illustrations and sparse text, so that it can be shared with younger children. The text is lyrical, but matter of fact. Fisherman are not painted as evil or greedy so the text is as not political as it is possible to be, while still drawing out feelings of empathy and caring from children. I shared this book with kindergarten through 3rd grade, paired with a short video clip of a whale rescue and whale sounds. The kids asked loads of questions; it really captured their interest. The book also features three pages of additional information about whales, including an easy to read full page of websites.
March 19, 2017
It's a good story that the kids liked. There's an interesting explanation note at the close written for adults. Look, lots of professional and non-professional reviews praise the sparse, vivid language. Eh. It's somewhat awkward to read aloud in places and the word choice isn't always kid friendly. I had to pause to explain what was happening.
But like I said, the kids liked it and it's a fun true story.
But like I said, the kids liked it and it's a fun true story.
January 7, 2019
This story recounts an actual whale rescue in December 2005. Young readers/listeners will delight in the beautiful and realistic illustrations of this magnificent animal and the happy ending when the whale is freed. Older students can learn about the danger human activity poses for whales, and read back matter on the risks involved in whale rescue. Could be used as an example or mentor text for timeline/chronological non-fiction structure.
November 20, 2019
A Whale’s Rescue is a fabulous book to teach word choice. Sensory words describe the whale’s journey and the illustrations are just beautiful. This is also a great mentor book to use to support students as they learn to write informative texts. In this story a massive humpback whale gets trapped in a net set by fishermen and fortunately caring divers rescue the whale! Lots of wonderful information about whales.
May 21, 2021
Wonderfully realistic illustrations tell the touching story of a team of divers who rescued a humpback whale who was hopelessly tangled in discarded fishing gear. There are so many good conversation points here--from scientific facts about humpback whales, to the very real hazard commercial fishing nets and lines pose to marine animals, to the bravery and compassion of the people who learn to do the immense work of helping wildlife in trouble.
February 16, 2018
This is a great story about a very real issue happening in our oceans today. One unique thing about this story is that it is all informational. It could encourage students to protect the oceans which is so important. I think this book would be best for second through fifth grade. The genre is informational.
August 27, 2019
Little Man being very much into sea life right now, I grabbed this one from the library. Interesting story that is based on true events. The actual story and additional info are on the last pages. Great book to add to a unit on conservation and sea life.
June 13, 2020
This is a gorgeous lyrical non-fiction book and it can be used to discuss the fact that fishing nets can cause great harm to dolphins, whales and other marine life. While this story has a happy ending for the whale, there are animals who are not so lucky. Kids found it interesting.
August 1, 2021
CLASSROOM READ:
This book is beautifully written with gorgeous artwork to go with it. Students used this book to practice their “finding the meaning of a new/unknown word” strategies. The text uses words like “immense, flailing, floundering, cascade, nudge” … etc.
This book is beautifully written with gorgeous artwork to go with it. Students used this book to practice their “finding the meaning of a new/unknown word” strategies. The text uses words like “immense, flailing, floundering, cascade, nudge” … etc.
March 7, 2017
Beautiful art.
3/6/2017 Read with Naomi & Julia.
3/6/2017 Read with Naomi & Julia.
March 20, 2017
Based on a true story, a whale's rescue from nets left behind by fisherman is documented. Divers and whale experts cut the fishing nets and where able to free this enormous, magnificent creatures.
May 7, 2017
Very cool! There is a lot of information provided in a relatively small amount of text, plus some nice additional info about whales, whale rescues, etc at the back of the book.
November 2, 2017
What a gorgeous book. The art is stunning, and the story is beautifully written, careful to gently nudge children into awareness of a very real issue. Great read!
January 22, 2018
Beautiful illustrations and a fascinating yet informative story. My first grader loved it.
April 18, 2018
A compassionate look at helping an animal and the professional skill it takes when the animal weighs tons. Great background material.
October 26, 2019
3.5 stars.
January 26, 2020
This amazing story is based on a true event. Whales too often get tangled in fishing gear, and this story tells how a team of divers set one free. Great illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews