Whale Port: Whale Port

Whale Port is a treat for anyone, young or old, interested in whaling and the role it played in American history. Through the fictional village of Tuckanucket, Mark and Gerald Foster take you on a wonderful, illustrated tour of the growing pains, and the triumphs and tragedies of a whaling town as it tries to maneuver through the powerful tides and currents of history, while remaining literally and figuratively afloat. The drawings are excellent, the story is dramatic and compelling, and the added background information at the bottom of each page makes the book that much richer. My eight year old son loves the book, and so do I. I highly recommend Whale Port to anyone who is fascinated by America's whaling heritage -- it is particularly appropriate for 8 to 14 year olds.

The son-father team of Mark and Gerald Foster have collaborated to produce an eye-pleasing book that not only offers a creative approach toward explaining the history of New England whaling over time, but is a crash course in all the terminology and processes related to the whaling industry, maritime trades that developed because of it, and other aspects of Colonial life. I recommend this book for children AND adults who want to use it to prepare for, or supplement, a visit to any whaling point of interest, such as the New Bedford Whaling museum in Massachusetts, Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut, a whale watch, or any other whale-related tourist spot worldwide. This book also provides a starting point for those who want to learn to appreciate whales, understand how human action profoundly affects their survival on this planet, and gain historical knowledge from which to decide how to act today to protect these important and endangered mammals. The exquisitely detailed, labeled illustrations by Gerald Foster are educational in and of themselves, but together with Mark's comprehensive historical instruction, this book becomes a gem. Well done!