Images from Free Willy and captive killer whales performing at Sea World don’t tell the real story of these marvelous creatures. With their vast bulk and “killer” instincts, these predators — weighing up to ten tons and eating more than 100 pounds of food a day — rule their underwater world. This lively book introduces young readers to every aspect of these singular beasts, from their surprising social arrangements (living in lifelong family groups) to their pod-specific dialects to their awesome methods of killing prey. Photos by noted wildlife cinematographer Jeff Foott include rare shots of killer whale behavior.
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More About the Author
My roots: convinced I was left on strangers' doorstep in the Pacific Northwest, I fled in my teens and began to fill the first of seven passports. Wanderlust is apparently hereditary; my progeny now busy filling their own passports.
My higher education: mostly self-inflicted
I collect: pyramids, ancient cemeteries, seashells, foreign languages, long stays in foreign lands.
Allergic to: gray skies, household routines, watches, gas-guzzlers.
Addicted to: laughter, Spanish aceitunas con anchoas, George Dalaras and other Greek music, foreign films, beach walks, getting a glimpse of animals and birds in the wild.
Am a magnet for: odd facts, weird stories, unusual connections (all of them fodder for my writing)
Am sustained by: a worldwide web of family, friends, publishing colleagues, and readers
My books: 35 titles (about half of them for readers 10 and up). Many, miraculously still in print.
My GOALS as a writer of nonfiction:
1. Dig deeper to find the whole human history, to illuminate the unsung men and women of long ago
2. Leaven my books with humor and humanity
3. Try to astonish the reader on every page. Astonish, from the Latin attonare, "to be struck by lightning." Thus to write in a way that leaves the reader thunderstruck.
My research: more fun than a whodunit. In fact, I go through a lot of shoe leather even when I'm time-traveling.That's why I call myself (partly tongue in cheek) Vicki Leon, historical detective
My higher education: mostly self-inflicted
I collect: pyramids, ancient cemeteries, seashells, foreign languages, long stays in foreign lands.
Allergic to: gray skies, household routines, watches, gas-guzzlers.
Addicted to: laughter, Spanish aceitunas con anchoas, George Dalaras and other Greek music, foreign films, beach walks, getting a glimpse of animals and birds in the wild.
Am a magnet for: odd facts, weird stories, unusual connections (all of them fodder for my writing)
Am sustained by: a worldwide web of family, friends, publishing colleagues, and readers
My books: 35 titles (about half of them for readers 10 and up). Many, miraculously still in print.
My GOALS as a writer of nonfiction:
1. Dig deeper to find the whole human history, to illuminate the unsung men and women of long ago
2. Leaven my books with humor and humanity
3. Try to astonish the reader on every page. Astonish, from the Latin attonare, "to be struck by lightning." Thus to write in a way that leaves the reader thunderstruck.
My research: more fun than a whodunit. In fact, I go through a lot of shoe leather even when I'm time-traveling.That's why I call myself (partly tongue in cheek) Vicki Leon, historical detective
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Updated and much improved.,
By Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: A Pod of Killer Whales: The Mysterious and Beautiful Life of the Orca (Close Up) (Paperback)
Whilst no writer should ever talk down to children, there is a requirement for a very different style of writing whenever a book is aimed at the younger reader. This book achieves that requirement rather well - although nowhere does it actually state to which section of readership the book is primarily aimed. It is only by corresponding with the publisher that this information came to light. My point being; If the book were aimed at an adult audience, it would fall well short of the required standards of writing. As a book aimed at younger readers, however, it suddenly comes to life in the way the subject is both explained and portrayed.
This is one in a series of books which seek to explain a specific creature (in this case the Killer Whale) using the collective noun for that creature as part of the title. My favourite title, incidentally is "A Dazzle of Hummingbirds" - but I digress. The original product was not up to any acceptable mark for any audience, and I would certainly not revise my view of that book just because this series of books is now being distributed by new publishers and that Jean-Michel Cousteau has added his name as Publishing Director. He has also written the foreword which, unfortunately, is more about himself than the book. No!, any re-write - or second edition, needs far more than just that. In this case, I asked those new publishers some straight forward questions before putting pen to paper. Bearing in mind that I have seen and photographed the Killer Whale in the wild (and sold one of the resultant photographs to National Geographic!), I have a very keen interest in this particular subject. Thankfully, that overly thick cardboard cover has gone and is replaced by more manageable paperback. The photographs by Jeff Foot remain - and quite rightly so, they are pretty damn good. Altogether, therefore, this book has been updated and much improved and I do believe it will prove to be an excellent gift for any young reader with an interest in the subject. This review relates to the second edition of this book in the "Jean-Michel Cousteau presents" series. NM
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
During my growing-up years on the Pacific coast, I never once saw a killer whale. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
pod members, killer whales New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
During my growing-up years on the Pacific coast, I never once saw a killer whale. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
pod members, killer whales New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
2
books
cite this book:
- Going Places: Family Getaways in the Pacific Northwest by Ann Bergman on page 599
- Intermediate Science (Through Children's Literature) by John W. Butzow on page 140
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