Book review: Amazing Animals - Whales

Published June 28, 2026 Updated June 28, 2026 07:08am

The world is full of amazing animals, some of which are even more interesting to study than human beings. A whale is one of those animals that is not just large and intelligent, but also rules the waters, much as a lion rules the jungle and humans rule the land. This book, Amazing Animals — Whale, deals with their clan in the most perfect way imaginable.

The book, in particular, and the series, in general, have been written for young readers like you who enjoy reading. Penned by Tapasi De, the text is easy to understand, and the way the author talks about whales makes you want to know all about them.

The beautiful illustrations, and fun and interesting facts add more colour to the book, which makes whales seem more ‘human’ than other mammals. They breathe like us — humans use their nose and mouth to breathe, and they use the blowholes on the top of their heads. The male whales, called bulls, look for food. The females, called cows, carry the species forward and the young ones, called calves, learn to live underwater from their elders.

How they move so easily in water is one phenomenon discussed on these pages, alongside the fact that the layer of fat, blubber, they carry around not only stores energy, but also keeps their bodies warm. If you didn’t know that the largest whale is the blue whale, or that it is as long as three school buses lined up back-to-back, then you are surely in for a treat with this book.

Exploring the animal world can be fun, and this book proves that theory right. What do whales eat? How do they communicate with other whales? What is that called? And what is a group of whales called? This book covers all of that information. The exploration becomes more appealing when you realise that terms like breaching, spy-hopping, lob-tailing and logging exist in the whale’s universe, as does migration from cold water to warm water. Interesting, isn’t it?

So the next time you see a picture of a whale sporting a comb-like fringe, or someone asks you which whale makes the longest migration, you will know the answer if you have read this book.

The many new words at the end just add to your curiosity, which is an ingredient most needed by book lovers.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 28th, 2026

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