Pulling a book from his little suitcase Luke says, “Look Nana!  My new library book.”

Then he whispers as if we are conspirators planning a grand adventure into the unknown.  “It’s a book about whales.  I love whales.”

“Well, let’s get started,” I whisper back.

We open the book and Luke carefully examines the photographs on each page.  He’s like a detective sniffing out clues.  He’s delighted when he discovers this book has maps on some of the pages.  Luke loves maps as so many children do.

We turn back to the beginning of the book and start reading the text.  Luke listens intently.  He finds out what each whale eats.  He is fascinated by their size and weight, especially the really big ones.  And he studies the maps carefully, making sure he knows which ocean each whale lives in.  It’s as if he’s literally being drawn into the pages of the book by his desire to understand these enormous creatures of the sea. 

As we turn to the last page Luke is excited.  “Look at this sperm whale.  It’s the biggest whale!  The map shows it lives in the Arctic Ocean.  The water is so cold here.  Look!  A giant squid!  The book says that sperm whales eat giant squid.”  Luke flashes a big smile.  His eyes sparkle.

“Just imagine, Nana.  This big squid must be really hard to swallow.  But not if you’re an enormous sperm whale!” 

I begin to understand that Luke’s imagination is carrying him into the ocean.  He’s picturing himself with the whales and is swimming alongside them as they hunt for food.  He’s on a grand adventure with these awe-inspiring creatures. 

When we close the book, Luke is whispering again.  “Tomorrow I’ll make a book.  I’ll draw a picture of each whale.  Then, will you help me put them in order?  Biggest to smallest.” 

It’s amazing where imagination can take a reader.