Big Blue Forever: The Story of Canada's Largest Blue Whale Skeleton

Gr 4–6—When a blue whale washed ashore on Prince Edward Island in 1987, residents were amazed at its size. Officials decided to bury the whale so that, in time, only its bones would remain, which then might be of use to scientists. This title explores what happened more than 20 years later when the remains were uncovered. The first half of the work details the community's response to the whale with somewhat choppy, fictionalized dialogue ("It is as big as a boat!"). The second half is entirely nonfiction and examines the process of creating the exhibit. This involved excavating and transporting the bones, cleaning and delivering them to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum in Vancouver, and installing the final exhibit. Additional sections of the book introduce the team members who worked on the project and discuss essential facts about blue whales and conditions that threaten their existence. While this is an interesting story, it could have been greatly enhanced by including actual quotes from the officials and scientists involved in the project, providing additional information about the life cycle of blue whales, and explaining the need for maintaining biodiversity. Nevertheless, this is a handsome, clearly written, well-illustrated description of how the enormous skeleton of a blue whale was preserved and housed in a museum for everyone to see.