bobsigsby
WITH WHICH THE WATERS SWARM
A Tale of Survival
ABOUT THE BOOK
Most of the protector bulls in the herd of North Pacific fur seals have been slaughtered by shiploads of sealers who have descended on their Gathering. These men are desperate to earn enough money to feed their families during a worldwide economic crisis. All international treaty limits are being ignored. It remains for a scraggly handful of seemingly helpless cows and a few useless bulls to take on the responsibility of survival, perhaps of their entire culture. Shine, The Fat One, Push&Shove, Irish, Grace, and the others must return from their migration with a burning remembrance of their plight and with a plan to conquer the returning sealers, who are as desperate as they are.
But the seals are faced with another concern: although their kind once had excellent memories, contamination in their diet over generations has caused them to remember little of what happened even a few days earlier. Their memories are so short, it is doubtful they will recall the event at the end of the 6- to 8-month Great Journey. It is Shine, deemed their leader, who discovers the secret to keeping the memory fresh when she hears the piercing voice of Shrieker barking grief over the loss of her bull.
During adventures encountered on their Long Journey, the seals engage other creatures of the sea, including their mortal enemies, the Toe-Steppers and Snow-Furs. Is it possible to learn from these experiences? Can they convince animals of other species to assist them? Will they even survive these confrontations? In a stunning conclusion, the herd, along with whales, octopuses, puffins, dolphins, and other seal colonies, collides with the humans in an epic battle for survival.
This is a morality tale, like Charlotte's Web and Watership Down, that challenges us to ponder how we would respond to a threat against our own existence. With Which the Waters Swarm is suitable for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers.