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Based on actual events that occurred in B.C. in the 1970s, “Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas,” follows a musician and a scientist as they attempt to communicate with — and free — orcas.

Paul Horn, a professional flute musician, moves to Vancouver where, with his two sons, he visits a local aquarium and sees Haida and Chimo existing in a small pool. While they are excited at seeing the intelligent animals, they are sad to see them in captivity. On one of their visits they meet Paul Spong, a scientist who tries to communicate with the whales by playing them music.

On their next visit, Horn plays his flute for the whales — and they respond. Every day they return and the whales respond to the music. This continues for weeks until Horn goes on tour for several weeks. As soon as he returns, Horn and his sons visit Haida and Chimo. Unfortunately, Chimo has died and Haida is very depressed and not eating. Not even Horn’s music and the presence of his sons can cheer up Haida. When one of Horn’s sons suggest playing “happy music,” the happy melodies entice Haida to eat.

The research by Spong and Horn’s music help to illustrate “how much orcas suffer in captivity.” Their next work together involved studying orcas in the wild and attempting to free those orcas who are held in captivity.

At the back of the book there is more information about orcas, Horn and Spong and his OrcaLab, which you can visit at . “Whalesong” is an inspiring, educational book about the majestic and intelligent orca and two men who have helped these whales.

“Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall”

• Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin
• Neal Porter Books
• 2024, 48 pages
• ISBN: 9780823452286
• ages 4+

“Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall” is the fascinating story of what occurs after a blue whale dies in the ocean. The beautifully illustrated picture book follows the 90-year-old, 85-foot-long body of the blue whale — “the largest animal ever seen on Earth” — as she provides “shelter and food for millions of creatures for more than a hundred years.”

After she dies, the whale’s body floats to the surface of the ocean where sharks, other fish, birds and other animals eat the floating body before it sinks. It takes approximately a month for the whale’s body to sink 6,000 feet to the sea floor, where it will feed an incredible number of animals.

“Generations and generations of over four hundred different species of deep-sea creatures, from fish to worms to crabs, clams, jellies, eels, and octopuses, will feed, grow, have babies, and thrive on the body of this whale. Other creatures will feed on the animals feeding on the whale.”

Scavengers such as hagfish, sleeper sharks and squat lobsters dine on the body, which will take years to consume. Next, crabs, snails, clams and other animals feed on leftover scraps before worms and bacteria arrive and find even more food.

The whale’s body has created an incredible ecosystem on the sea floor — one that lasts more than 150 years. Eventually, nutrients — including those from the whale’s body — rise toward the ocean’s surface, where they feed algae and plankton, which feeds krill, which feeds blue whales, providing a cycle connecting past whales to present ones.

The back of the captivating, non-fiction picture book contains more information on blue whales, ecosystems and the four phases of the whale fall ecosystem. While this book is aimed at children four years of age and older, the considerable text (at least for a picture book) and subject matter make it an educational and interesting read for older children — and adults too.