 I read the book By the River. This book is about a boy named Harry. Harry was named after an escape artist, Harry Houdini. Harry’s mother died when he was seven from a flood leaving his dad to raise him and his brother. Harry also lost his friend, Linda, who was also killed by a flood. Harry lives in a small town in Australia. He used to think it was the worst place to live, but he eventually started to gain an understanding about the town and grew to like it. This book is mostly about Harry overcoming his mother and friend’s deaths in Australia.

 Whales live in the North Atlantic, the North Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean.  They migrate to warmer waters in the winter months.  It takes them about three months to reach their new homes near Bermuda, the Hawaiian Islands or up by Alaska.

 Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to live on Earth.  They vary around about 100 feet long and are about 200 tons.  Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant and large enough for 50 people to stand on it.  One of the main foods a blue whale eats is krill. During certain times a year, a single adult whale consumes about 4 tons of krill a day.

 Gray whales vary from about feet long.  They can weigh from 50,000-80,000 pounds and their life span is about 50 years.  Gray whales’ eyes are about the size of a baseball and they have no teeth.  Gray whales travel about 8,000-12,000 miles a year to get their food.

 The name humpback whale describes the motion it makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive.  The head and lower jaw are covered with small, round bumps called knobs or tubercles.  These whales can grow to about 52 feet long and can weigh about tons.  The heart of the average humpback whale weighs about 430 pounds - about as much as three average adult human beings.

 In Oklahoma, it is against the law to hunt whales.  The blue whale's heart weighs 1,300 lbs and only beats about ten times per minute - the human heart beats at least 70 times per minute.  The blue whale can whistle up to 188 decibels; they are the loudest animals on Earth.  Killer whales travel in groups and breath in unison.