Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Welcome in Spring with a New Book – “If I Were a Whale” by Shelley Gill (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent samples from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.


Sasquatch Books logo

6-1/2 x 6-1/2; $9.99
20 pages
ISBN: 9781632171047

I love being able to homeschool my girls, as I get to tailor their learning and lessons plans based on their likes and strengths.  Both of my girls love hands on learning, and learn best when I am able to teach them a lesson about a topic and then follow up with a field trip so that they can experience something or see things up close we just learned about.  After receiving “I Were a Whale” by Shelley Gill in the mail recently, I knew where we would be going for our field trip after doing a fun lesson about whales with the girls…the Mystic Aquarium. 

My family loves going to the Mystic Aquarium, which is only about 45 minutes from our house – so, it makes for a great day trip with the girls.  One of the favorite places my girls like to visit at the aquarium is the beluga whale tanks.  I read through this book beforehand sharing with the girls and was happy to see beluga whales included, and knew the girls would smile when they saw them.

For school the girls created a whale canvas print while watching an online step-by-step art class, followed by a fun crafty whale.  I also found some cute whale erasers we used as math counters to solve math problems.  In addition to reading this story, which introduces young children to an array of whales, we visited the local library to look for other whale books.  I also found a few movies online that I shared with the girls about marine rescues and how they care for injured whales before releasing them back in the water.  The girls had so much fun learning about whales.  They had no idea there was more than one type, as they thought they were all the same.  By the end of our lesson they were able to share what they learned about belugas, minke, pilot whale, gray whale and even fin whales, to name a few…all of which you will see and read about when you pick up the fun children’s board book, “If I Were a Whale.”

"From best-selling children’s author Shelley Gill comes this colorful, rhyming board book playfully featuring whales found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. Toddlers will love to learn about whales swimming in the deep blue sea in this beautifully illustrated board book that shares simple whale facts in an imaginative way."

My girls really enjoyed this board, and loved how it was small enough for them to carry around.  They ended up bringing it to the aquarium with us to help them identify the other types of whales besides the beluga that the Mystic Aquarium housed.  And, when we got home from our field trip, the girls pulled out their journals and wrote about things they would do if they were a whale.  Both of my girls would love to swim with school of fish and check out the Coral Reef. Like their mom, they love the water, and would love to just be free and swim around to their hearts content. 

If you have a little one who loves marine animals, or are simply looking for a fun board book that is written in a rhyming scheme and will keep your little one’s attention, why not consider picking up “If I Were a Whale” by Shelley Gill today?  My girls really love this book, and will pull it from the shelf to admire the illustrations of all the beautiful whales .


Disclosure:  I was sent samples from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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