'The Moon by Whale Light: And Other Adventures Among Bats, Penguins, Crocodilians, and Whales (Paperback)

by Diane Ackerman (Author) "One winter evening, I took a seat in a natural amphitheater of limestone boulders, at the bottom of which was the wide, dark mouth of..." (more)
Key Phrases: pallid bats, gray bats, leopard seal, Diane Ackerman, New York, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In these four lively, information-packed accounts, Ackerman makes vivid the qualities and appeal of animals and the natural world they inhabit. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-- A unique blend of poetic essays and scientific descriptions of usually unlovely animals. Ackerman writes with the precision of a scientist and the soul of a romantic, luring readers with provocative word pictures while educating them on the importance and necessity of these animals in the global scheme of nature. She maintains that near-perfect balance of animal lore, objective study, and conservation, and includes some downright hair-raising adventures such as riding an alligator bareback and swimming face-to-face with a right whale. Her goal, to underscore man's responsibility to respond to the protection of these creatures, is met admirably. This is nonfiction storytelling at its best. --Carol Bell, Immanuel Christian School, Springfield,
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (September 29, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679742263
• ISBN-13: 978-0679742265
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #271,651 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, February 21, 2004

By	Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I think this was the first book by a naturalist that I ever read (and it was many years ago that I first read this book) that was utterly enchanting and engaging. Most books of this nature are didactic with occasional leaps into literary writing. Ackerman, in contrast, balances fact with fancy and reality with conjecture; she balances personal experience with the universal; she asks original questions that have no known answers; she merges conversation with conservation; she gives us a sense of who she is without losing the thread of what she's writing about. Not being particular scientific, I was surprised to find myself clinging to every word, reading the book straight through in perhaps two nights of bedtime reading.
The chapters on diverse topics can be read separately as individual essays, but there's a sense of progression of Ackerman's life that lends a personal touch to the book. These wonderful essays found their first home in The New Yorker. Subjects are all over the map: bats, alligators, penguins, and of course the whales of the title, which reads like a misprint - but isn't. In the process, Ackerman underscores man's responsibility to act in the protection of the world's other creatures: we are but one among many (and we're hugely outnumbered, BTW).
Besides being a perfect melding of animal lore, objective study, and conservation, The Moon by Whalelight is an example of nonfiction storytelling at its best.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful adventure, December 8, 1999

By	Lynn Tran (Fort Worth, Texas) - See all my reviews

This book is like an adventure from the coast of America to the long mystery Nile River and finish up in the Antarctic. Each person in this world has an individual characteristic and an individual life; animals are the same. From small creature like bats to large creature like whale each has its own life and living habit. By reading this book, I obtain a lot of informative scenes which the author, Diane Ackerman, describes it beautifully. I love this book because the author portrays the attractive living environment and the living habit of the bats,whales, crocodiles and penguins. Every one should read this book. I highly recommend this book for those student who need to read a non-fiction science book. Here is a little information for all students: "This is a wonderful science book." Don't panic if you have to do a non-fiction book report next time. "The Moon by Whale Light" is your best choice.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A keen observer with a poetic eye, November 27, 1998

By	David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Diane Ackerman's sharp observations, poetic descriptions, reflective commentary, and search for knowledge make this an enjoyable reading experience. My favorite piece was the one on bats, with their amazing echolocating screams, biological helpfulness for making many plants survive, and intriguing wing designs. Ackerman does a good job of dispelling many horror stories about bats, showing how they have gotten a bad rap over the years. Her article on crocodiles was also enthusiastic and winsome. I thought the whale essay was a little slow and monotonous in parts, otherwise I would give this book a five star rating. Definitely a good book to read by the fire or relax with at the beach.