THE BIRTH OF A WHALE

Archambault (Counting Sheep, 1989, not reviewed, etc.) writes brief verse about the birth of a humpback whale that makes a usually majestic event somewhat trite and even boring. ``A humpback whale sings its song, diving deep through the deep water dark./The deep water dark, the deep water dark, singing, dancing in the deep water dark.'' The refrain and accompanying illustration are repeated seven times during the course of the book, adding length but little content. The words are never compelling as poetry, and there aren't enough facts to compete with other books on the humpback whale. The illustrated spreads in washed shades of aqua and deep blue are accurate but not very engaging. (Picture book. 4- 7)