Ten-year-old Adelina Mayoral lives in Laguna San Ignacio, a small fishing village in Mexico that is graced with the arrival of migrating gray whales each January. It is the only place in the world that the whales seek out human contact. Photojournalist Richard Sobol filters information about life in the village and about the whales through Adelina’s experience. Readers learn that her fisherman grandfather was the first person to report friendly contact with the whales—it’s a story Adelina never tires of hearing. And they find out about the whales in the context of what Adelina has learned by living next to their winter home and breeding ground. Sobol’s child-centered perspective lends his narrative a bright, engaging tone. A foreword by environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., provides background information on successful international efforts involving activists, politicians, entertainers, and others to protect the waters around Laguna San Ignacio from development that would have polluted the whale’s winter home. (Ages 7–10)

Adelina is a ten-year-old girl who lives in a quiet fishing village in Baja California, Mexico. Adelina has some very special friends-the gray whales-that come every year to spend the winter months and give birth to their calves in the protected lagoon near her home. This beautifully photographed photo-essay introduces young readers to a very special way of life, offering insights into the world of these giant mammals of the sea. Text and photographs by Richard Sobol.