Lunde and Wynne pair up for the third time (Meet the Meerkat, 2007, etc.), here acquainting the youngest animal lovers with facts about the beluga whale. As in their previous books, the author sticks to a question-and-answer format: "Baby Beluga, how do you live in the cold water? / I have a layer of fat to keep me warm. I breathe through a hole in the top of my head." Basic questions about habitat, appearance, diet, adaptations and social behavior are answered in simple language well suited to both preschoolers and beginning readers. Back matter includes a few additional facts about belugas, including the fascinating tidbit that these whales are never fully asleep—parts of their brains take turns staying awake. While the trim size is not strikingly large, Wynne’s whales fill the right-hand pages, making them easy to share with a group. Appropriate for the audience, her illustrations are accurate, just detailed enough not to overwhelm, and her characters appear to be smiling throughout. Even the topic of predation is dealt with in a relatively nonthreatening way: "Baby Beluga, what do you fear? / I am afraid of orca whales and polar bears. They try to eat me." While the artwork does show a crouching polar bear, it is a ways removed from the water and wears a neutral expression. A solid addition for the youngest naturalists.

I didn’t give the new picture book from Darrin Lunde and Patricia J. Wynne Hello, Baby Beluga enough credit when I first picked it up. Scanning through it on my own, I got the impression that the way it presented facts, without any real storyline, was a little dry.

My 5-year-old daughter, however, was immediately drawn to the book. She leafed through it to look at Baby Beluga and her pod, and asked questions — such as, What does Baby Beluga eat? — that tracked the text almost perfectly. When we settled down to read it together, she was engaged by every page and she brought the book to bed with her that night.

As someone who has worked to protect wildlife for most of my adult life, I can forget how extraordinary and miraculous the diversity of life is. Looking at Hello, Baby Beluga through my daughter’s eyes, I was reminded at how awesome it is that belugas exist — especially given their size, their natural history, and just how “other” they can seem. And, once I gave it a chance, I was impressed by what a nice job the book does at teaching children what’s mind-blowing about belugas while also highlighting the ways in which they, like many other animals, are like us: they have families and they have emotions (fear).

With so many kids books out there that are geared more to parents than kids, this engaging book is a nice change of pace. It is perfect for children ages 3-6.

This third collaboration by Lunde and Wynne continues the introduction of "child friendly facts" about animals in a question and answer format. Back matter adds more information.

Baby Beluga swims in the ocean while answering nine questions about himself and his kind. After describing his appearance ("I am five feet long./My skin is dark gray./It will turn white like my mother's/when I am older"), and home ("I live in the Arctic Ocean./I like cold water"), he raises his head out of the water to demonstrate how he breathes, makes sounds, and watches for enemies. Underwater, he drinks milk from his mother and swims with his pod. Single-page illustrations of Baby Beluga in an iceberg-spotted ocean appear next to sky-blue pages of questions and answers until it's time to say goodnight. The story ends with a two-page close-up of the beluga and a multicolored sunset with 10 additional facts about these whales superimposed on it. Realistic illustrations rendered in watercolor, ink, colored pencil, and pastels complement the facts. After learning about these creatures, children can sing along with Raffi as you read his Baby Beluga (Knopf, 1990).

Young children love cute critters and there's nothing cuter in the ocean than a baby beluga whale. After reading this picture book preschoolers will know some basic facts about these usual mammals.

They learn that the baby beluga is born gray but will turn white like its parents as it matures. It lives in the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean, breathes through a hole in the top of its head, and can swim backward as well as upside down.

The large illustrations in various shades of blue, gray and white that accompany the question and answer narrative are not only pleasing on the eye, but they will also focus the child's attention on the main character and the book's simple content.

Hi, I'm a little whale. You can call me Baby Beluga. This picture book is all about my life up in the Arctic Sea. As you read this book you'll learn all sorts of interesting facst about me.

Baby whales are called calves and we can swim as soon as we are born. Although I am now gray, eventually I will turn white like my parents and I'll grow to be about sixteen feet long.

My favorite food includes shrimp, squid, crabs and my mother's milk. I live with a bunch of other whales in a group called a pod. We have to be careful and steer clear of polar bears and orca whales because they will eat us if they are hungry.

I think if you are three or four years old you'll really like looking at the pictures of me in this book. They are really cool just like the waters I live in! After you finish reading you'll also know a little bit about me and what it is like to be a baby beluga.

Beginning readers and listeners will enjoy this simple introduction to baby beluga whales. Friendly narrative text has the baby beluga whale talking to the readers, telling about life in the ocean with his mother. Watery watercolor illustrations effectively present life in the icy waters and plainly presents the animals and habitat. Nine spreads present basic text on one side and illustrations on the other, concluding with a page of additional information. Due to the lack of index, glossary, future readings, or any other non-fiction elements, this almost-picture- book is great for first-time non-fiction readers who will get a lot out of this.

This is a simple question and answer book. It would be a great research model as well as an interesting read aloud. Each page has soft drawings to accompany the question and answer. Quite a bit of information can be collected from this short book.

Baby Beluga is a question and answer type picture book to teach children about what belugas are. It talks about the life, habitat and eating habits. The illustrations demonstrate the different questions that baby beluga is answering. This is a great book for young children doing reports on different types of animals.