Nile the inflatable life-sized Humpback Whale is temporarily at the McCullough Library in North Bennington. Photo by Danielle M. Crosier/Bennington Banner This story by Danielle M. Crosier was first published in the Bennington Banner on Aug. 6, 2026. NORTH BENNINGTON — On Wednesday, local k ids didn’t just learn about whales, they went inside one. The Park McCullough Carriage Barn was temporarily transformed into the belly of the sea when the Whalemobile rolled into town, inflating a life-sized model of Nile, a 39‑year‑old humpback whale who spends her summers perusing the waters off of Cape Cod. The program was part of the McCullough Library’s summer reading lineup, which for the first time has been combined with the Bennington Free Library’s summer reading program into a single, shared and collaborative effort. “It’s been great to partner with Bennington Free Library,” said Martha Bradford, youth services librarian at McCullough Library. “We’ve had a very successful program. I think we’re up to 220 readers that have registered, and we are about to cross the 200,000 minutes of reading for our readers. So, they’re doing a great job.” Readers from both libraries will have until Aug. 19 to record and report minutes, said Bradford, adding, “Come on down to either library and get those minutes in.” Bradford said the combined program is already paying off in enthusiasm and numbers. Last year, she noted, McCullough’s standalone program drew around 165 readers; this summer’s joint effort has nudged that number upward while also pulling in families from beyond the immediate village. “Well, I definitely have seen new faces,” she said, crediting the collaboration with bringing in “Bennington folks and surrounding areas.” A whale named Nile Children and adults inside the life-sized Humpback Whale at McCullough Library in North Bennington. Photo by Danielle M. Crosier/Bennington Banner Inside the inflatable whale, educator Cinde McInnes walked kids through the anatomy and life story of Nile, a humpback whale that she has personally observed in 31 of the 33 years she’s been whale watching. The life-like blow-up model replicates the distinctive black‑and‑white tail pattern that allows researchers to recognize individual humpbacks in much the same way that humans recognize each other by their faces. Nile, for example, was first identified by a Nile River shaped tail marking. Youngsters who attended learned that Nile is currently 39 years old, and is considered a “young” adult for a species that can live to between 80 and 100 years — and they also learned that young Nile is now on her eighth calf. McInnes also explained why whales bulk up in New England waters and slim down on their winter migration, how blubber works as both insulation and an energy storage and why whale poop — to the delight of the audience — matters for the planet and matters to researchers.  By the time she was finished, children could explain baleen versus teeth, blubber versus muscle, and why a 440‑pound blue whale heart is roughly the size of a very large human being — or even two human beings. Inside of the whale, kids studied baleen, examined sperm whale teeth and passed around some faux samples of sand eels (possibly a humpback’s favorite treat). Sand eels — they learned — are slender, silver-bodied and pencil-thin, and form massive schools along Cape Cod. They serve as the core foundation of the local marine food web and attract striped bass, bluefish, bluefin tuna  and whales to the shallow flats, shoals and offshore banks during the spring, summer and early fall months. Ocean health was also stressed and a gasp was heard as they learned that whales are eating plastic pollution that originates from far inland. Another gasp came when they learned that the plants of the ocean are responsible for about 50% of the oxygen that we humans breathe. Reading, and a job whale done While the science lesson took place inside of the massive inflatable humpback, Bradford was focused on the bigger picture: connecting that excitement to reading and stewardship. The Whalemobile visit was the seventh of 10 events in the two library’s summer reading series this year. Bradford stressed the success of the combined programming efforts, and emphasized that families still have time to log summer reading. Each Whalemobile session hosted roughly 20 people, with four sessions scheduled over the course of the day, and brought in a wide variety of young readers from throughout the area. The event also reinforced a quieter message: the link between whales, ocean health and everyday choices in a landlocked Vermont village. McInnes urged kids to think beyond recycling and focus on reducing plastic use — especially single‑use water bottles — and to adopt “whale‑safe habits” like picking up litter and using reusable containers. Children left with stickers, coloring sheets and brochures about whale watching, along with a few very solid talking points about phytoplankton, food chains and why the ocean is responsible for roughly every other breath we take. For Bradford, the inflatable whale was more than just a novelty experience. It was a way to make that science — and the act of reading about it — feel immediate and feel applicable. “It’s been great to partner with Bennington Free Library,” Bradford said, noting again that the collaboration has brought new families through the doors and driven up both registration and minutes read. With three more events on the schedule and thousands of minutes still to be logged, Bradford is hoping that local youth will continue to be curious and will keep diving into books in the same way that they dove into Nile — feet first, eyes wide and eager to learn what’s inside. Read the story on VTDigger here: Into the belly of the whale: Summer readers embark on a unique voyage. ...read more read less