Pipaluk and the Whale

Pipaluk and her father are on their way back to their village after a successful hunting trip when they find thousands of beluga whales in an opening in the ice.

At first, they see the animals as an easy way to provide food for their village for the whole winter.

Then they realizes that the whales are trapped and that they must do something to help them.

The villagers try to free the whales but the water is freezing over faster than they can work.

The whales will drown if they can't get help. The village elder sends a messenger to officials in a nearby village where there is an icebreaker.

Weeks pass and the villagers keep chipping away at the ice and even feeding the whales some of their own supply of frozen fish.

Just when things look hopeless for the whales, the icebreaker arrives, cutting a channel to the whales.

But the noise of the ship's engines scares the whales and they refuse to follow the ship.

Pipaluk remembers how her singing seemed to calm the whales.

The captain uses the ship's speakers to broadcast music from the ship.

To everyone's relief the whales follow the ship to freedom. In an author's note, readers learn that in 1985 a Russian icebreaker really did free thousands of beluga whales by playing classical music.