Granny's Clan: A Tale of Wild Orcas

Meet the orca Granny and her family in this beautiful picture book based on the real-life orca clan! Inspire any eager young reader with lyrical text that combines real science with a heartwarming story of family.

Like grandmothers everywhere, Granny the orca (killer whale) babysits, teaches, and plays with her orca grandchildren. She teaches them how to breathe through their blowholes, hunt for salmon, communicate by making sounds underwater, and how to escape from danger.

Perfect for any parent, grandparent, or teacher looking for a kids book about whales, mammal book for kids, or to help introduce marine biology to eager young minds.

Backmatter includes more information on Granny and orcas:

• Fascinating Definitions: what is blubber? Echolocation? Blow holes? A pod?
• How Orcas Live: how orcas communicate, how they breathe, what they eat, and more!
• How Scientists Learn about Granny's Clan: scientists collect all kinds of information on Granny and her family…including looking at their poop!

Whether watching whales with kids or teaching a class, Dr. Sally Hodson loves to tell stories. Using the power of story, she hopes to inspire people to care for our planet and the animals who share it. Sally has taught elementary, secondary and special needs students, designed curriculum and trained teachers. She earned her doctoral degree at the University of Colorado, with a focus on environmental education, ecology and animal behavior. While the Executive Director at The Whale Museum, she helped coordinate the successful rescue and release of Springer, a wild orphaned orca. Sally lives on a Pacific Northwest island among cedar forests, bald eagles, and the orcas of Granny's clan. To find lots more about orcas, see her website, www.sallyhodson.com.

Ann Jones taught elementary school for many years, but her love for art found full expression ever since she moved to Orcas Island, Washington, in 1992. She lives there with her husband, three cats, and thousands of honey bees. Her studio is very near to the ocean. She likes to work with soft, colorful pastels, using her hands and fingers to apply the paint―a very tactile experience. She was just getting ready to start painting Granny for this book when she heard the distinctive sound of orcas exhaling. She ran to the shore and there was part of the clan, only about 20 feet away. What an auspicious start! Because individual orcas are identified by their fins, color patches and other markings, Ann made a point of painting the individual IDs so readers can identify the main characters in the story visually. www.annjonesstudio.com.