Twelve daring grays A whale migration adventure

Dramatic verse narrates the expedition of a dozen gray whales who take an alternate migration route in an illuminating picture book from Nickum (This Book Is Full of Holes) and MacKay (The Bunny Ballet). The wide-eyed account opens in February as more than 20,000 gray whales depart Baja, Calif., beginning "a long, hard,/ necessary journey." Among this group, 12 have a "daring plan"--while the others continue their two-month-plus trip north to the Arctic, the featured dozen "peel off,/ one by one," to head elsewhere. Vivid imagery describes their 170-mile detour to the Salish Sea, a water body in British Columbia and Washington State. Venturing "past rocks as barnacled as their skin," they arrive at a shallowly submerged mudflat where they risk getting stuck to scrape the floor for "millions of ghost shrimp./ A hurried,/ exhilarating feast" that helps them grow strong enough to continue northward. Photographs of cut paper and mixed-media scenes have a luminous, diorama-like depth that immerses readers in the subjects' natural habitats. Eventually, the intrepid shrimp-eaters catch up with their fellow cetaceans, and prose comes full circle, asking whether a new generation will be among those who make the detour in this wonder-filled portrait of adapting mammals. A note, "Dining with Grays," concludes. Ages 5--8. Author's agent: Lynnette Novak, Seymour Agency. Illustrator's agent: Emily Van Beek, Folio Literary. (Feb.)

Every year, the Pacific Northwest's Salish Sea becomes a pit stop on one of nature's most majestic migrations. Leaving Baja California each February, 20,000 gray whales embark on a monthslong journey to the Arctic, where they spend each summer feasting on shrimp and growing strong. The migration is arduous; the whales eat almost nothing along the way and lose one-third of their body weight. Among the travelers are 12 whales with a sense of adventure, willing to risk a detour with the promise of a valuable payoff. Sometimes called the Sounders, these whales break off from the group each year at the tip of Washington State and enter the great network of waterways called the Salish Sea. Their 170-mile detour leads them to shorelines so shallow that whales who don't pay attention to the outgoing tide are at risk of being stranded. Here they scrape great heaps of ghost shrimp from the sea floor, leaving behind giant pits in the sand that are visible when the tide turns. The Sounders eat hundreds of pounds of shrimp during their short stay in the Salish Sea before continuing their journey to the Arctic, bellies full. Nickum's quiet, flowing prose sets the scene with vivid, sensory detail. MacKay's captivating ink and paper illustrations were layered and enhanced with wire, colored filters, and light and then photographed for a glowing and serene three-dimensional effect. The speckled whales seem ready to splash off the page in each dioramic scene. A stunning and unforgettable journey. (more information on the whales, suggested reading)(Informational picture book. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.