Betty and Alan Gilderdale: The Little Yellow Digger Saves the Whale

By MARGIS THOMSON

The third in the series, this one is based on a true story. A baby orca whale is stranded for several hours on a Northland beach and is rescued by locals who form chains to pass buckets of water to keep its skin wet, and of course the little yellow digger which digs a trench so that the whale can be floated back out to sea. The whale's mother waits anxiously out in the bay.

It's a lovely story, full of the simplicity and nostalgia of summer days at the beach, and nicely assisted by the illustrations.

Publisher: Scholastic, $24.95