Trapped! A Whale's Rescue

A giant whale trapped in nets and ropes. Can she be helped?

A humpback whale migrating south along the California coast becomes tangled in a fishing trawler’s ropes and nets. As she struggles to free herself, the ropes twist more tightly around her body, digging into her skin. The whale fights until she is too tired to continue. What happens next will astound and inspire.

Based on true events, this is a story of interspecies cooperation and the importance of human responsibility to protect the earth and its many inhabitants.

Wendell Minor’s breathtaking paintings illustrate the majesty of the gentle humpback whale in her blue-green undersea world and the amazing efforts of humans—creatures a mere fraction of her size—who risked their lives to save her. Back matter includes the story behind the story, further information about humpback whales, and facts about whale rescue efforts

Robert Burleigh is the author of many books for children, including Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic illustrated by Wendell Minor (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2011); Fly, Cher Ami, Fly!: The Pigeon Who Saved the Lost Battalion (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2008); and Homerun: The Story of Babe Ruth (Sandpiper, 2003).

Wendell Minor is the illustrator of dozens of children’s books, including The Last Train by Gordon M. Titcomb (Roaring Brook Press, 2010); Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin (Putnam Juvenile, 2009); and America the Beautiful by Katharine Bates (Putnam Juvenile, 2003).