"The sounds shiver through the water,
through the timbers of our boat,
so we can feel them tingle in our bare feet on the deck
and hear them when we lay our heads against the hull.
Sounds so strange, they seem to come
from out in space, among the stars,
not from here on Earth."
I always look forward to new books by zoologist and very talented writer Nicola Davies. Along with my own kids and those I encouraged to read her books, I have learned so much from her. She is a brilliant researcher and keen to share what she learns with others, especially children. When I read that she had a new book about humpback whales and their songs, I was intrigued.
Readers are advised to listen carefully right from the start. In the deep blue of the ocean, a humpback is singing. Ms. Davies explains that the whale is a hundred feet below the surface, and moves the air it breathes through 'spaces in his throat' to create the high and low sounds of its song. The patterns of the sounds are clear and are the makings of that song. Once done, he begins again.
"He's stringing sounds together to make patterns,
like threading colored beads onto a string.
A whoop and then a snort,
Another whoop and another snort.
A growl, then six short chirps.
He makes pattern after pattern,
creating one long song."
He sings the song again and again, until he must come to the surface to breathe. Many other humpbacks are doing the same; it is breeding season. The males' songs are part of the noisy celebration. Researchers don't know what those songs mean. They can only surmise the reasons for the constant singing that takes place. They do know they sing the same song! They have learned it from each other, and often add a small difference which changes the song 'bit by bit' until it is new. Throughout the ocean, other groups of humpbacks are singing their own very different songs. They spread out from one place to another, at times altering the songs sung there.
Who else hears its beauty? And where?
Ms. Davies, as fans will know, writes with wonder and devotion to her subject. The language chosen to tell her story is rich with meaning and filled with genuine awe. Britta Teckentrup uses the beads of a necklace analogy to pull readers into the depths of the ocean habitat as the songs are strung together. The collaged forms of the humpbacks are placed on constantly changing textures and shades of ocean life. They give young readers a close and comforting spotlight on a much-loved denizen of the deep.
An appended note adds further valuable facts about whale song.
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