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Whale-Watching
When we could, say, be squirrel-watching or cow-watching, why are we especially drawn to the whale?
During the twice-a-year migration season, boatloads of schoolchildren and families leave the coasts and head out into the deep for whale watching. Why is that? When we could, say, be squirrel-watching or cow-watching, why are we especially drawn to visit the whale? The answer seems to be that these leviathans evoke in us special and rare feelings: awe and wonder and respect. That is why, incidentally, ocean encounters with these creatures are always more satisfying than viewing them as penned pets and entertainment at marine amusement parks.
Genuine encounters with grandeur inspire us to think more grandly. Many of us, habitually, measure out our lives in coffee spoons, but a visit to the Grand Canyon may awe us and make us aware of our self-imposed smallness, leading us to aspire to much greater things. So, too, in the world of children’s books. Once in awhile, you encounter a leviathan that shows what can be done and that leads you to measure with different measures; then the thousands of juvenile offerings published every year seem like so many minnows pooling in the shallows and happy with their lot. In that regard, this book reviewer is immensely grateful to have had the chance to encounter once again Herman Melville’s…
