WHALE

Anya and her parents are returning by moonlight from her grandmother's island home when Anya spots something huge in the sea. Her fear becomes deep concern when her parents recognize a whale and her newborn calf and realize that the whale must have fled a nearby oil spill after the birth; too weary to hold herself afloat, she is drowning. Dad can't reach the Coast Guard, but a miracle intervenes: as the family watches in awe, dozens of other whales appear to hold the mother up until she regains her strength—whales of many species, some bearing harpoons: ghosts that vanish once the crisis is over. There's a twinge of disappointment when the rescue turns out to be supernatural, and yet one subtext of this compelling story seems to be that only miracles may suffice after such an environmental disaster. This team also created Tiger; the dusky moonlit-blue art here, with marvelous underwater views of the whales, is equally beautiful. For those moved by the poignant message, there's a fact sheet and the address for ``Save the Whales.'' (Picture book. 4-8)