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The whale's tale and the otter's side of the story : a book to read from front to back and back to front Cover Image Book

The whale's tale and the otter's side of the story : a book to read from front to back and back to front / by Kate Messner & [illustrated by] Brian Biggs.

Messner, Kate, (author.). Biggs, Brian, (illustrator.). Clarion Books (New York, N.Y.), (publisher.). HarperCollins (Firm) (Added Author). HarperCollins Children's Books. (Added Author).

Summary:

"A boastful whale and a showboating otter compete in a battle of words to prove that each is the greatest animal ever to swim the seas. Read one way, the first-person text brags about whales' superiority; read the other way, it extols how much better otters are. Using true information about the two marine species to make both arguments...[this book illustrates] how the same words can be used to express contradictory opinions when speakers have a one-sided view of the world"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780063372627
  • ISBN: 0063372622
  • Physical Description: 1 volume (unnumbered pages) : color illustrations ; 28 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, New York : Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2026]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references.
Target Audience Note:
Ages 4-8. Clarion Books.
Grades K-1. Clarion Books.

Search for related items by subject

Subject:
Whales > Juvenile fiction.
Otters > Juvenile fiction.
Debates and debating > Juvenile fiction.
Competition (Psychology) > Juvenile fiction.
Perspective (Linguistics) > Juvenile fiction.
Genre:
Picture books.
Humorous fiction.
Toy and movable books.
Upside-down books.
Animal fiction.

Available copies

  • 22 of 52 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 0 of 3 copies available at Onslow County Public Library.

Holds

  • 6 current holds with 52 total copies.
Sort by distance from:
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Jacksonville Main Library E MES (Text) 36015002720387 Easy New Fiction Checked out 08/18/2026
Sneads Ferry Branch Library E MES (Text) 36015002720502 Easy New Fiction Checked out 08/14/2026
Swansboro Branch Library E MES (Text) 36015002720445 Easy New Fiction Checked out 08/08/2026

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MARC Record

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010 . ‡a 2025939400
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020 . ‡a9780063372627 ‡q(hardcover)
020 . ‡a0063372622 ‡q(hardcover)
040 . ‡aIG# ‡beng ‡erda ‡cIG# ‡dOCLCO ‡dOCLCQ ‡dJBU ‡dOCLCO
08204. ‡a[E] ‡223/eng/20260408
1001 . ‡aMessner, Kate, ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)335074
24514. ‡aThe whale's tale and the otter's side of the story : ‡ba book to read from front to back and back to front / ‡cby Kate Messner & [illustrated by] Brian Biggs.
250 . ‡aFirst edition.
264 1. ‡aNew York, New York : ‡bClarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, ‡c[2026]
264 4. ‡c©2026
300 . ‡a1 volume (unnumbered pages) : ‡bcolor illustrations ; ‡c28 cm
336 . ‡astill image ‡bsti ‡2rdacontent
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references.
520 . ‡a"A boastful whale and a showboating otter compete in a battle of words to prove that each is the greatest animal ever to swim the seas. Read one way, the first-person text brags about whales' superiority; read the other way, it extols how much better otters are. Using true information about the two marine species to make both arguments...[this book illustrates] how the same words can be used to express contradictory opinions when speakers have a one-sided view of the world"-- ‡cProvided by publisher.
5211 . ‡aAges 4-8. ‡bClarion Books.
5212 . ‡aGrades K-1. ‡bClarion Books.
650 0. ‡aWhales ‡vJuvenile fiction.
650 0. ‡aOtters ‡vJuvenile fiction.
650 0. ‡aDebates and debating ‡vJuvenile fiction.
650 0. ‡aCompetition (Psychology) ‡vJuvenile fiction.
650 0. ‡aPerspective (Linguistics) ‡vJuvenile fiction.
655 7. ‡aPicture books. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)340542
655 7. ‡aHumorous fiction. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)336071
655 7. ‡aToy and movable books. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)340995
655 7. ‡aUpside-down books. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)356082
655 7. ‡aAnimal fiction. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)700894
7001 . ‡aBiggs, Brian, ‡eillustrator. ‡0(CARDINAL)533591
7102 . ‡aClarion Books (New York, N.Y.), ‡epublisher. ‡0(CARDINAL)607621
7102 . ‡aHarperCollins (Firm) ‡0(CARDINAL)361253
7102 . ‡aHarperCollins Children's Books. ‡0(CARDINAL)879787
901 . ‡a15733278 ‡bOCoLC ‡c15733278 ‡tbiblio ‡soclc