A free diver trained “to dive on a single breath of air” witnesses a remarkable underwater scene in this awe-inspiring, poetic real-life story. Spotting a clan of sperm whales near the surface, the diver, in wetsuit, googles, and flippers, enters the water and slowly descends toward a “cloud of blood”—the birth of a whale! Mature sperm whales are floating nearby as if to welcome and embrace the new calf. The diver, “silent and stealthy,” goes up for a breath as the whales help the calf surface for the first time. When they notice the diver, he wonders whether he’ll be seen as a threat. He keeps his movements slow; he is “graceful, / patient, / allowing the whales to approach.” Their sounds “vibrate the man’s bones / and heat his chest.” They observe him curiously, and then, as if he is one of them, “the mother nudges the calf toward the man. She presents her wrinkly baby as if to say, ‘Meet the newest member of our family.’” A gatefold in the book opens up to a magnificent view of the man floating, camera in hand, in front of the calf, the two of them surrounded by enormous whales. Back matter includes information about free divers (including Fred Buyle, featured in this story) and whales.

Plunge deep into the awe-inspiring true story of a freediver's encounter with a newborn sperm whale and its family.

When a freediver (one who dives without the benefit of oxygen) slips underwater, he encounters a pod of sperm whales so close he can almost touch them. When he sees blood in the water, he wonders if there's been an injury. When he comes even closer, what he finds instead is a moments-old calf, skin wrinkly and tail fluke still folded from the womb.

The calf's family nudges it up to breathe; nudges it toward each member of the pod, by way of introduction; and then it happens--the mother nudges her child toward the diver, inviting him, too, to share in the family moment.

Told from the vantage point of Belgian freediver Fred Buyle, who with his diving partner Kurt Amsler are the only people known to be present at the birth of a sperm whale, In the World of Whales features lyrical-yet-precise text by Michelle Cusolito and dreamlike illustrations by Jessica Lanan, creator of the Sibert Honor book Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider. Any child who dreams of speaking to animals will adore this proof of humanity's bond with the wild world. At the end of the story, find more information about freediving and whales.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year