A Whale Of The Wild by Rosanne Parry

A Whale Of The Wild tells the story of a young orca who endures a catastrophic event to save what's left of her family.

Vega is part of the Warmward Kinship of Great Salmon Eaters that includes her Greatmother Siria,  her mother Arctura, her Uncle Rigel, her younger brother Deneb, and her cousin Aquila and Aquila's son Altair.  Mother is carrying Vega's sister, Capella, and will soon give birth. Her pod live in the Salish Sea where they depend on the salmon that migrate from the sea back to the mountain streams every year.

Vega,  Mother and Greatmother have been unsuccessfully searching the islands and inlets of the Salish Sea for Chinook salmon.Vega is young and she doesn't yet have the skills to be a good hunter like Mother or a master wayfarer like Greatmother.

When Vega catches a salmon, Mother invites her to lead the family as a wayfarer to The Gathering Place, where their kin meet up to hunt the salmon. Disaster almost ensues when Vega attempts to lead them across an open passage where they encounter a large boat. The noise from the boat drowns out their click stream and disorients Deneb and the rest of the pod. They are led to safety by Greatmother who has them dive deep to avoid the boat's growler (engine propellers).

This mistake devastates Vega who recklessly heads off on her own when Greatmother takes over. Aquila follows Vega, leaving behind her son Altair. She scolds Vega, telling her she must try harder, and that their family needs her. Vega follows Aquila as she leads them back to the Gathering Place.

On their journey there is an earthquake on the seafloor that scares the two orcas. Vega notes though, that above water everything seems the same.Finally they meet their family at the Gathering Place where they also hear the voices of other families as they make their way in from the ocean.

Deneb is thrilled that Vega has returned. That night he overhears Greatmother telling of a time long ago when the earth shakes and how the open ocean is a refuge but also a danger. Greatmother tells Vega that they will stay because they need to wait for the salmon but they also must listen too.

Mother gives birth to Capella, but she is still born. In her anguish, Vega steals the dead baby to take it to a graveyard of orcas called Blood Cove. Uncle Rigel sends Deneb to search along the shore for Vega, but when he's unable to find her, he continues on. But as Vega is returning through Deception Pass, another violent earthquake hits. Separated from her family and now in great danger, how will Vega manage to survive and meet up with those in her family?

Discussion

A Whale of the Wild tells the story of a young orca or killer whale who becomes separated from her family during an devastating earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. 

The main character of the story is Vega, a young orca who is on the threshold of learning the skills that will make her a wayfarer for her family. Parry employs anthropomorphism, giving her animal characters many human traits and emotions. For example, Vega is kind, impulsive and inquisitive. She questions everything and wants to learn. "When I was a youngling, I thought Greatmother knew the sea down to its last drop. I thought she and Mother and all the greatmothers of my kinship were the ones to call salmon out of the ocean. But the more I learn, the more questions I have."

Vega's journey to the Gathering Place after the earthquake and tsunami is not only a physical one to be reunited with her family, but it is also a journey that sees her grow more mature and confident in her abilities. After a brief time in the deep ocean, Vega successfully leads her brother Deneb and Aquila and Altair back to safety and to the Gathering Place.

Parry incorporates many interesting facts about orcas and other cetaceans, about the ecosystem of the Salish Sea and how human use of the land and water has impacted that ecosystem and the orcas. Vega remembers the stories Greatmother told of what the sea was like before when she sees the longboats of the local Indigenous people.

"The old stories tell of a time when all the boats in the Salish Sea were as quiet as these. In those days, boats did not bleed poison. No one tried to capture orcas. And the salmon ran so thick and strong that not a single orca of any kinship ever knew hunger. There were so many fish that rivers shone silver in the summer sun."

Greatmother told of how the Indigenous peoples and the orcas "...had a settled way between us. They hunted salmon in the rivers and coves, and we hunted them in the sea."

A Whale of the Wild tells an interesting story from the point of view of the orcas. At times it's confusing to figure out who is narrating as the story switches from Vega to Deneb and back again. However, readers who are interested in whales, orcas and dolphins will enjoy this novel as well as the beautiful illustrations by Lindsay Moore. Parry includes a large section on information about the Salish Sea ecosystem as well as a detailed map. There is also a list of resources for further study.

Salish Sea map credit: https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/salish-sea-change

More information about the Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Protecting the Core Habitat of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. 

 Book Details:

A Whale Of The Wild by Rosanne Parry
Greenwillow Books        2020
322 pp.