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Who Would Win? #7
Killer Whale Vs. Great White Shark
This is a classic battle and it really does happen in the ocean. A mammal against a fish.
The Killer Whale is one of the greatest predators of all time. The Great White Shark frightens everyone because of the movie JAWS. In reality it is no contest.
The Killer Whale is one of the greatest predators of all time. The Great White Shark frightens everyone because of the movie JAWS. In reality it is no contest.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2016
17 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Pallotta
239 books111 followersMy full name is Gerard Larry Pallotta but my mom always called me "Jerry". I was born on March 26, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts. My mom's name is Mary, and she came from a family of ten children. My dad's name is Joe, and he came from a family of five children. My grandparents were immigrants of Italian descent. I have the nicest parents in the world. They have always been unselfish and ready to help me, even today. I have four brothers and two sisters: Joey, David, Andrew, Danny, Cindy and Mickey. I have seventy-two first cousins. When I was growing up, there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
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February 12, 2023the great white shark made me cry it’s trying it’s hardest
January 23, 2019
Teachers/parents get the “who would win” pack. My class is obsessed. We read today to compare and contrast and it the most engaged they have been with nonfiction yet. Will be buying more!
March 25, 2021
I'm guessing this is an early entry in the series, as it doesn't have the same smoothness (or the break for dad jokes) but it was still fun. Lots of good pictures, a bundle of facts about both animals, and then an charged encounter! And I'm probably biased because the animal I was rooting for won!
May 18, 2017
I must admit that I am addicted to this series right now. The ones that I don’t have in my possession, I have on hold at the library. I took four of them into a sixth-grade classroom I was subbing in the other day and they were an instant hit with the kids. I asked the question on the front of the book to the kids, I had them raise their hands to see which species got the most votes. I then gave them a picture walk of the information contained in the book and then I quickly walked them through how the fight went on at the end of this nonfiction children book. They were all ears, hoping that the species they choose won. Some decided to change their original hypothesis after I told them some of the facts inside the book but I loved how they all were listening and wanting to know the outcome. Afterwards, I had some of the kids wanting to read the books for their read-to-self books. Now, that is a testament to these books.
With bright, colorful, realistic, illustrations these books are a gem. Using a variety of font styles and sizes the information is scattered throughout the pages in an easy to read format. With one side of the page devoted to one species and the other species devoted to the other. I liked how the author compared and contrasted the information of the species inside the book, whether it be its habitat, it’s size, how fast it moves, it’s skeleton or what it eats, etc... Each book also has text boxes with Did You Know? Information and some other text boxes with Fun Facts, Bonus Facts, Important Facts that contain interesting information. At the end of the book, is the duel between the species. I find these duels rather comical as they are like watching a WWW match. Every move, every piece of action is written down so it feels as if you are actually there. In the end, there is only one winner. Will it be the one that you had chosen?
In Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark, this is the book I liked the most. I could have shown almost every page in this book as there were lots of interesting and informative pages in here. Their teeth sizes, the differences in sizes between the males and females plus the differences in their fin sizes, direction of their fins, how individuals look to these species, how they swim, and their brains. Such great information and boy, did this book spark the conversation. I am definitely picking up a copy of this one for myself.
So now I have to wait for the books at the library to come in, can’t wait to see what things I don’t know.
With bright, colorful, realistic, illustrations these books are a gem. Using a variety of font styles and sizes the information is scattered throughout the pages in an easy to read format. With one side of the page devoted to one species and the other species devoted to the other. I liked how the author compared and contrasted the information of the species inside the book, whether it be its habitat, it’s size, how fast it moves, it’s skeleton or what it eats, etc... Each book also has text boxes with Did You Know? Information and some other text boxes with Fun Facts, Bonus Facts, Important Facts that contain interesting information. At the end of the book, is the duel between the species. I find these duels rather comical as they are like watching a WWW match. Every move, every piece of action is written down so it feels as if you are actually there. In the end, there is only one winner. Will it be the one that you had chosen?
In Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark, this is the book I liked the most. I could have shown almost every page in this book as there were lots of interesting and informative pages in here. Their teeth sizes, the differences in sizes between the males and females plus the differences in their fin sizes, direction of their fins, how individuals look to these species, how they swim, and their brains. Such great information and boy, did this book spark the conversation. I am definitely picking up a copy of this one for myself.
So now I have to wait for the books at the library to come in, can’t wait to see what things I don’t know.
February 4, 2023
My favorite part is when the killer whale orca
battled the great white shark. 🦈
battled the great white shark. 🦈
June 5, 2020
I liked it, but I did think there was going to be some more action. But still, I loved the facts.
October 16, 2016
Who Would Win? Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark was the second book in this series that we read. Christopher was sure the Killer Whale would win. I bet on the Great White Shark. After running through a lot of facts about the two animals, in very absorbable fashion, there is a fight. Christopher called it! The Killer Whale won with almost no contest. I was shocked.
We really enjoyed this book. This whole series is so interesting. I've already reserved a few more from the library. Non-fiction that is this fun to read is a rare find, so I want to take advantage of his interest.
http://www.momsradius.com/2016/10/juv...
We really enjoyed this book. This whole series is so interesting. I've already reserved a few more from the library. Non-fiction that is this fun to read is a rare find, so I want to take advantage of his interest.
http://www.momsradius.com/2016/10/juv...
May 17, 2017
A great early reader to teach children how to compare and contrast. Full of interesting facts about great whites and killer whales. Bonus: at the end there is a fight between the two and we get to see who wins! A cool series to get kids interested in biology.
March 21, 2013
I thought it gave good information
November 14, 2020
WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE? This informational text is a hit in my classroom along with the other "Who would win?" series! My students love ocean animals, especially sharks so they really enjoyed reading this book! Throughout the book, it gives facts about the killer whale and great white shark. It has a picture of the actual size of a tooth in each animal's mouth. My students were shocked to see this! There are several "Did you know?" questions throughout the book that they like to quiz a parent, other teachers, or classmates about! This book also discusses the food chain for each animal! Each animal is compared to relative objects that students are familiar with! They are amazed at how big these ocean animals really are! This book would be appropriate for students 2nd through 5th grade!
There are many ways to incorporate this into the classroom. For literacy, students could compare and contrast killer whales and great white sharks. Students could also choose who they think would win at the beginning of the book and write their introduction, details, or reasons to support their opinion, then the conclusion. You could use this for literacy or science. I would also use this in my classroom as a research project. Students could be partners and one research and give facts and killer whales and the other partner give facts about great white sharks. Students could collaborate together even in COVID-19 circumstances by creating a Google Slide option where they both have access to it and where they can list their facts about these animals. Students could then present their presentations to the class.
This is a WOW book for me because my students LOVE this series! This is a very interesting book about facts that I did not actually know about the animals. This book is very engaging with students and is VERY popular in my classroom! We have read this book and the students were so enthusiastic and engaged throughout the entire read aloud.
There are many ways to incorporate this into the classroom. For literacy, students could compare and contrast killer whales and great white sharks. Students could also choose who they think would win at the beginning of the book and write their introduction, details, or reasons to support their opinion, then the conclusion. You could use this for literacy or science. I would also use this in my classroom as a research project. Students could be partners and one research and give facts and killer whales and the other partner give facts about great white sharks. Students could collaborate together even in COVID-19 circumstances by creating a Google Slide option where they both have access to it and where they can list their facts about these animals. Students could then present their presentations to the class.
This is a WOW book for me because my students LOVE this series! This is a very interesting book about facts that I did not actually know about the animals. This book is very engaging with students and is VERY popular in my classroom! We have read this book and the students were so enthusiastic and engaged throughout the entire read aloud.
October 16, 2017
These are a fun way to present informational text to young readers. Facts about each animal are presented on facing pages, and then at the end of the book readers can complete a checklist and decide which animal would win if they faced off against each other.
It would be fun to show a couple of these books to students and then have them select two animals and recreate the format with their own research. This would be a high-interest information literacy activity.
The one thing I don't like about the series is the covers. They look a little unpolished and some of the animal depictions are very phony.
It would be fun to show a couple of these books to students and then have them select two animals and recreate the format with their own research. This would be a high-interest information literacy activity.
The one thing I don't like about the series is the covers. They look a little unpolished and some of the animal depictions are very phony.
February 7, 2020
In this book the author talked about two different creatures; the Great White shark and the Killer Whale. He went through each characteristic of each including weight, size, intelligence, speed, and each animal's senses. Through the book the big question was who would win in a fight. At the end it was a one versus one with each animal the same size and of course the Orca won.
In my opinion these books are great for younger readers. As a kid this book along with some others in the same series were my favorite books from first to second grade. This book was great to read again and I always loved the Orca more.
In my opinion these books are great for younger readers. As a kid this book along with some others in the same series were my favorite books from first to second grade. This book was great to read again and I always loved the Orca more.
May 22, 2020
Genre: Nonfiction
Ages: K-4th
I had no idea these books were so great. I have seen students reading them but I've never taken the time to look at one. I assumed it was like every other nonfiction book with a variety of facts about each animal. It does have a variety of facts about each of the animals but they are really interesting and fun facts. For example, one of the reasons a killer whale jumps out of the water is to knock lice off its body. Who knew?!!? In addition to the great facts, there are really informative illustrations. (I had no idea a shark's brain was so oddly shaped.) And, of course, the ultimate appeal is the battle between the two animals.
Ages: K-4th
I had no idea these books were so great. I have seen students reading them but I've never taken the time to look at one. I assumed it was like every other nonfiction book with a variety of facts about each animal. It does have a variety of facts about each of the animals but they are really interesting and fun facts. For example, one of the reasons a killer whale jumps out of the water is to knock lice off its body. Who knew?!!? In addition to the great facts, there are really informative illustrations. (I had no idea a shark's brain was so oddly shaped.) And, of course, the ultimate appeal is the battle between the two animals.
February 10, 2020
This book is a bit under level about what would happen if a orcao and a great white met in the ocean. IN this book you will learn about orcas and great white sharks. you will lean how they move and swim. How they are constructed what they consume what they are constructded of and more.
I would rate this book a 3 because of how simple it is but then a 4 for how easy it was to read. i would recomend this book to some one that is looking for an easy read and a quick one.
Who do you think will win?
I would rate this book a 3 because of how simple it is but then a 4 for how easy it was to read. i would recomend this book to some one that is looking for an easy read and a quick one.
Who do you think will win?
November 12, 2024
I liked reading this book because of the information it provides about the different animals. This is a great book to talk about the differences between whales and sharks as well as introduce concepts of nonfiction/informational text to students. this is also a part of a massive series, so there are a ton of different animals that are being compared. I would use this in my class to map out different text features within a nonfiction/informational text and use it as a beginning to having students create their own "Who Would Win?" showdowns.
December 10, 2025
This fun read sets up a face‑to‑face showdown between two of the ocean’s fiercest predators. Pallotta packs the book with tidbits of facts about both killer whales and great white sharks, giving readers a chance to compare their strengths, weaknesses, and survival skills.
It’s written in a way that’s both educational and entertaining, making it perfect for kids who love animals and enjoy imagining “who would win” scenarios. The illustrations and fact snippets keep the pace quick and engaging, while still teaching something new about these incredible creatures.
It’s written in a way that’s both educational and entertaining, making it perfect for kids who love animals and enjoy imagining “who would win” scenarios. The illustrations and fact snippets keep the pace quick and engaging, while still teaching something new about these incredible creatures.
October 8, 2017
I loved learning about these two creatures and having the contrasting information about each on opposite sides of the page made it easy. However the battle, unlike others in this series, consisted of one brief engagement. Very anticlimactic and didn’t show how to integrate the two animals strengths into the conflict. This could have been a LOT better. However, I think it is of great value to invite the reader to create their own ending.
April 25, 2022
Genre: Informational
2nd-4th grade
This was a great and creative way to approach a nonfiction book about animals. Instead of just stating the facts about one animal, this book discusses both the killer whale and the great white shark. I liked how it compared each characteristic of the animal side by side. There were lots of fun facts included on the pages. The reader is kept engaged because they want to find out who will win at the end.
2nd-4th grade
This was a great and creative way to approach a nonfiction book about animals. Instead of just stating the facts about one animal, this book discusses both the killer whale and the great white shark. I liked how it compared each characteristic of the animal side by side. There were lots of fun facts included on the pages. The reader is kept engaged because they want to find out who will win at the end.
October 21, 2023
Two keywords in this book are gills, and female.
This text is categorized as a nonfiction book. The author (Jerry Pallotta) uses facts about each the Killer whale and Great White Shark to compare and contrast the two oceanic animals. The author uses very specific examples that allow the reader to really grasp the competition between the two. Overall, the text is well formatted and written, and I think kids would find this as a really interesting text.
This text is categorized as a nonfiction book. The author (Jerry Pallotta) uses facts about each the Killer whale and Great White Shark to compare and contrast the two oceanic animals. The author uses very specific examples that allow the reader to really grasp the competition between the two. Overall, the text is well formatted and written, and I think kids would find this as a really interesting text.
November 5, 2024
I think this is a great book for kids. They can guess who would win between these two great animals. This book compares and contrasts killer whales and great white sharks detailing their anatomies, behaviors, lots of facts, and plenty of pictures, and charts. I love this book and the information it gives kids about these two animals. I can see myself using this as a read-aloud or as part of my classroom library in the future.
December 10, 2025
This is an entertaining book for children. Everybody is interested when a fight starts. To a human, great white sharks and killer whales are more like monsters than animals. The photo on the front of the book will pull young readers in. The book educates about both "monsters," but leaves out a few crucial details. For instance, orcas do nothing alone, and great white sharks are always alone. There would never be a fair fight. The shark would not have a chance against the family of whales.
September 30, 2017
Grade Level: 3rd
Genre: Informational
One Unique Feature: I loved this book because each page did a compare/contrast of features of the two animals that Jerry Pallotta wrote about. At the end of the book there is a check list of who has the better features and readers get to predict who would win!
Genre: Informational
One Unique Feature: I loved this book because each page did a compare/contrast of features of the two animals that Jerry Pallotta wrote about. At the end of the book there is a check list of who has the better features and readers get to predict who would win!
December 3, 2018
I enjoyed this book because it did a side by side comparison of two animals. It made the question of "who would win?" very entertaining. I thought it was a good idea for the author to ask the question again in the middle of the book in order to keep the reader engaged. I was happy because my prediction came true!
Genre: Informational
Grades: 2-5
Genre: Informational
Grades: 2-5
May 7, 2019
A great twist on a nonfiction book. This book takes a look at what would happen if a killer whale and a great white shark would go against each other. This book includes great facts about both the killer whale and great white shark including illustrations.
F&P: O
AR: 3.3
Six Traits:
Organization, word choice, conventions
F&P: O
AR: 3.3
Six Traits:
Organization, word choice, conventions
October 13, 2018
This is a great mentor text to show comparing and contrasting and text features. I enjoyed the layout of the book. I like that there are life sized familiar objects used to compare the size of the animals.
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September 16, 2021this book was fire when i read it was so interesting and was just fun to read and gives so many facts about who you would think would win and makes u have so many question like how didnt the shark kill the whale
May 14, 2024
I thought this was a good book for 1st to 3rd grade. It had interesting facts and good comparisons. I wish they made these books for middle grades. Something like “Who would win… Bigfoot or the Yeti?” And it would delve into the histories of them more.
December 10, 2024
The “Who Would Won?” series evaluates the attributes of two animals and the predicts which would win in a fight. This one pits a killer whale against a great white shark. A fun series that teaches science.
May 4, 2017
Great book. Worked for my research.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2017
It was funny because they met.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews