Orca's Song facts for kids
Front cover of Orca's Song
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| Author | Anne Cameron |
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| Illustrator | Nelle Olsen |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's picturebook |
| Publisher | Harbour Publishing |
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Publication date
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1987 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 25 |
| ISBN | 0-920080-29-4 |
| OCLC | 633301107 |
Orca's Song is a picturebook from 1987. It was written by Anne Cameron and illustrated by Nelle Olsen. The book was published by Harbour Publishing.
This story is based on an old tale from the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. It is a type of story called a pourquoi story. This means it explains why something is the way it is. Orca's Song tells how orcas got their black and white colors. It's about an all-black orca who falls in love with an osprey. Their baby orca has the black and white patterns we see today.
Later versions of the book gave credit to a storyteller named Klopinum. She was the inspiration for the story.
The Story of Orca's Song
Orca's Song is a pourquoi story. It explains why orcas have their unique black and white patterns. In the story, there is an orca who is completely black. This Orca starts to feel lonely and longs for Osprey. Orca begins to help Osprey catch salmon.
Osprey, in return, teaches Orca about flying high in the sky. She also brings Orca special gifts from the land. The two become very close and fall in love. But they find it hard to be together because they come from different worlds. One day, Orca leaps high out of the ocean. At the same time, Osprey swoops down towards the waves. Their bodies touch in the air.
They have a baby orca together. This baby is born with the black and white colors we know today. The baby can leap even higher out of the water than its whale mother. But it cannot fly like its osprey parent.
Twice a year, in spring and fall, women on Vancouver Island play music. They play it on the western coast. Orcas gather there and sway to the music. They also sing their own songs. Ospreys join this gathering too. They sing along, bringing together the sky, land, and sea. The story ends by saying that anyone splashed by a whale will have good luck.
How the Book Was Made
Orca's Song was written by Anne Cameron. She is a Canadian author from British Columbia. Cameron enjoyed taking First Nations stories and turning them into picturebooks. She had already published another children's book in 1985. It was called How the Loon Lost Her Voice.
Cameron said that a storyteller named Klopinum inspired Orca's Song. Klopinum was someone Cameron knew when she was young on Vancouver Island. Cameron stated that Klopinum gave her permission to share the story. However, Klopinum's name was not on the book until later printings in 1993.
Nelle Olsen created the pictures for the book. She used black and white drawings inside the story. The cover art was done in a Northwest Coast art style. Harbour Publishing released the 25-page book in 1987.
