Whale's Tale and the Otter's Side of the Story

Description:

Readers will laugh aloud at the silly antics of a pair of opinionated sea mammals in a tale presenting one side of a debate when read front-to-back and the other side when read back-to-front, slyly revealing the way identical facts can be used to support opposite positions.

A boastful whale and a showboating otter compete in a battle of words to prove that each is the greatest animal ever to swim the seas. Read one way, the first-person text brags about whales' superiority; read the other way, it extols how much better otters are. Using true information about the two marine species to make both arguments, Kate Messner's adroit text and Brian Biggs's giggle-worthy artwork brilliantly illustrate how the same words can be used to express contradictory opinions when speakers have a one-sided view of the world.

Excellent illustrated backmatter includes:

• A thought-provoking note from the author about the uses of language and how to evaluate bias
• Lively facts about whales and otters and the actual similarities of these fascinating marine mammals
• Resources for further reading about whales and otters
  

Brief description:

Kate Messner is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous pictures and middle grade titles. Before becoming a full-time writer, she was a TV news reporter as well as an educator who spent fifteen years teaching middle school English. She lives on Lake Champlain.

Review Quotes:

"Serves up hilarity galore while leaving readers with real food for thought."

- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"This clever and entertaining picture book plays with language in an inventive way [that] adds depth and makes the book especially effective as a read-aloud for discussions about communication, perspective, and getting along with others. Playful and purposeful."

- Booklist