Abigale the Happy Whale

by Peter Farrelly

Overview

Abigale the Happy Whale finds a clever solution to stop pollution in this funny story from Hollywood writer and director Peter Farrelly and illustrator Jamie Rama.
Features:Read Aloud functionality [where available]
Book Description:
Abigale is a happy whale who wants to find out why her friends under the sea are unhappy. Her many friends including Clem the Clam, Wordsmith the Swordfish, Dr. Gus the Octopus, and Moby Duck all help her see how pollution is making them sad--until Abigale comes up with a "whale" of an idea to prevent Land People from polluting the sea.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316247306
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/09/2013
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Peter Farrelly has collaborated with his brother Bobby Farrelly on a number of hit films, including, "Dumb and Dumber," "Kingpin," "There's Something about Mary," "Me, Myself, and Irene," and "Stuck on You." They are now working on the big-screen adaptation of "The Three Stooges." He is also the author of two novels, Outside Providence and The Comedy Writer, from which this story is adapted.

Editorial Reviews

Hollywood screenwriter/director/producer Farrelly (There's Something About Mary) makes his children's book debut with this not-so-subtle pro-environment fable, adapted from an earlier adult novel (The Comedy Writer). When the pollution of their natural habitat reaches the saturation point, a pod of humpback whales in California's Santa Monica Bay begins a slow, sad swim to shore, where they plan to beach themselves in protest. Only young Abigale stays cheery on this trek-until she realizes just what beaching oneself means. Her enlightenment drives her to quickly convince her fellow humpbacks to find an alternative tack that will teach the landlubbing litterbugs a lesson. Her finned friends have fun-to-say names like Fred Doofish the Red Bluefish. But Farrelly drives the moral hard: Abigale must remove a castoff TV set from the back of pal Clem the Clam, for instance, and Blackie the Goldfish has "more oil on me than a can of sardines." Rama, a feature film animator, debuts here with the kind of wildly expressive, smoothly shaped characters that could be distant cousins of Nemo or SpongeBob SquarePants. The artist's vibrant underwater palette and quirky scenery will instantly grab readers' attention, while the proliferation of water pollution will likely spark discussion. The author is donating half his proceeds to Heal the Bay, a conservation charity. Ages 3-6. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-4-This picture book has a serious message underneath its wry humor. Abigale, the sole happy humpback in her pod, joins the other whales on a mission to go to the beach. She stops frequently to visit one of her many friends along the way. All of these creatures have been impacted by litter thrown into the sea, including Wordsmith the Swordfish, whose sharp sword has a tire around it. The head whale in the pod has decided on beaching as a form of social protest, but Abigale comes up with a better way to get the attention of the Land People who are trashing the ocean. While the culmination of the plot is clever, the journey is more than a little long. Too many characters are introduced, and the text gets bogged down in repetitive detail. Rama's digital illustrations do a good job of bringing the murky depths of the sea to life and in giving the characters personality. Overall, though, Abigale sinks under the weight of its worthy message.-Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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