In anticipation of our visit to the Dana Point Fesitval of Whales we have been talking to my daughter about whales and other marine animals we might encounter during one of our many whale watching tours. She has a great interest in learning about whales and I’m looking forward to her first experience seeing whales and dolphins from a boat in the ocean. While we visit SeaWorld often, this will be her very first time seeing whales in their natural environment. Thanks to Donna at Dana Wharf sport fishing and whale watching, we recently added a new children’s book to our home library. We have been learning about whale watching with The Amazing Adventures of Captain Don by Donna Kalez. The children’s book has been a great way to teach my daughter what to expect this weekend during our whale watching tours.
With a great love for whales and dolphins already, my daughter was excited to read the new book with all of her stuffed animal friends from SeaWorld.
The author, Donna Kalez, wrote the book based on her childhood experiences growing up in Orange County with her family and father, Captain Don. The book features several friendly characters including Dolly the Dolphin, Dana the Whale, and of course Captain Don. The story is about Captain Don’s great adventure looking for a special whale that had been spotted the day before. The whale watching tour encounters a mega pod of dolphins including one of Captain Don’s favorites, Dolly.
In search of the mysterious whale, the tour also sees many different animals along the way. Different types of dolphins and sea lions, known to the author as “sea doggies,” are discussed in the book. Donna knows about my daughter’s love for feeding the sea lions at SeaWorld San Diego and her special relationship with Clyde, the resident sea lion. Clyde and my daughter are close friends and regularly interact on Twitter. She enjoys visiting Clyde on Twitter daily and gets even more excited when she receives a personal message.
Donna wrote a special “Clyde” on the sea lion in the book and it has my daughter asking to read about Clyde everyday.
The glossary at the end has been a great review of the new whale watching and animal terms learned in the book.
Learning about whale watching with the Amazing Adventures of Captain Don has taught my daughter what to expect during our whale watching fun this weekend at the Dana Point Festival of Whales. Living away from the ocean, the book has given my daughter the great opportunity to learn about marine animals and raise her excitement for seeing whales in their natural environment.
The Amazing Adventures of Captain Don is available to purchase online. Learn more about Dana Wharf sport fishing and whale watching by connecting with them on Facebook and Twitter.
See more about my daughter’s love for sea lions in Learning about Sea Lions at SeaWorld San Diego (conservation and care).
Disclosure: My daughter received a signed copy of the book from the author but all opinions are entirely my own.