The Voyage of Whale and Calf
By: Vanessa Pirotta Illustrated by: Samantha Metcalfe
Be immersed in the beautiful story of Calf, a newborn humpback whale migrating with his mother.
Calf is a newborn humpback whale, venturing into an exciting marine world while being nurtured and cared for by his mother. Join them as they travel along the east coast of Australia, meeting marine creatures. See the challenges Calf and Whale face as they head down into the icy waters of Antarctica, and marvel at these amazing ocean giants. + Full description
The Voyage of Whale and Calf explores humpback whale migration – plunge below the surface to learn more about the lives of these magnificent marine mammals!
Reading level varies from child to child, but we recommend this book for ages 5 to 9.
Notable Book, The CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2023
- Short descriptionNews
Read more on our blog:
Dr Vanessa Pirotta shares why she loves whales and what inspired her to write her first children's picture book: Voyaging with Humpbacks: A whale of a tale with Vanessa Pirotta.
Watch the video trailer:
Reviews
"This highly engaging book will provide children with easily accessible information about this magnificent marine animal. A wonderful resource for classroom teachers when looking at collecting information for report writing."
Kathryn Beilby, ReadPlus, 1 April 2022
"As usual, CSIRO Publishing have given us another superb read, one that asks more questions than it answers, and to the curious mind of the child, that is a perfect book!"
Barbara Braxton, The Bottom Shelf, 1 April 2022
"Readers will learn about breeding, feeding, communication, food chains and some of the threats faced by whales. Non-fiction information is softened by lyrical descriptions – ‘painting a picture’ rather than just recounting the facts. Samantha Metcalfe specialises in wildlife illustration, and this is evident in the detail and realism of her illustrations."
Laura Holloway, CBCA Reading Time, 9 May 2022
"Packed between the most beautiful of ocean-themed endpapers - adorned with whales, penguins and sea lions
- is a plethora of information that will fascinate and amaze."
A Word about Books, 10 May 2022
"Not only is this book one where you can't help falling in love with the soft and dreamy illustrations on every page, but at the back of the book there are many more facts which will blow your mind about these incredible and magnificent mammals."
Good Reading Magazine, 2022
"Natural history artist, Samantha Metcalfe, delicately illustrates this story, capturing the special bond between Whale and her Calf. Working primarily with colour pencil, Samantha shares with us the perils of the journey and beauty of the ocean environment. The detail, colour and softness of the approach really capture vastness of the ocean and the feeling that you are travelling along with Whale and Calf on their migration."
Dr Sam Lloyd, Ecological Society of Australia, November 2022
Details
Hardback | April 2022 | $ 24.99ISBN: 9781486315109 | 32 pages | 250 x 250 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Colour illustrations
ePDF | April 2022
ISBN: 9781486315116
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers
ePUB | April 2022
ISBN: 9781486316526
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers
Features
- Explores a year in the life of a humpback whale as he travels from the Great Barrier Reef to Antarctica
- Includes fascinating whale facts and information about environmental and human-made threats to marine life
- Beautiful illustrations by Samantha Metcalfe bring the unique marine life of Australian and Antarctic waters to life
Authors
Dr Vanessa Pirotta is a wildlife scientist and science communicator. Her work is primarily focused on the use of innovative technology for wildlife conservation. Vanessa has travelled the world for humpback whale research, and her most famous research involves the use of drones to collect whale snot!
Samantha Metcalfe is a natural history illustrator who finds inspiration in the unique biodiversity of the Australian bush. Working primarily in colour pencil, her realistic and detailed illustrations often focus on capturing Australia’s native flora and fauna.
For Teachers
We have created these Teacher Notes as a free PDF download to support the use of this book in the classroom.
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