The Tale of the Whale

by Karen Swann, Padmacandra (Illustrator)

Overview

A child and a whale embark on a beautiful journey together in this lyrical, gorgeously illustrated picture book about friendship, hope, and love for the world around us in the vein of The Fisherman & the Whale and Cynthia Rylant’s Life.

Where land becomes sky and sky becomes sea, I first saw the whale and the whale first saw me.

A child joins a friendly whale for a magical journey of discovery. They sail the blue ocean, dance with dolphins, and tail-splash seagulls. But the child also sees an ocean filled with plastic trash. And that inspires a promise of help, for the whale and all earth’s creatures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534493940
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	420,688
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Karen Swann grew up in the United Kingdom and trained as a physiotherapist. She now lives with her family in Nottingham and is a keen rock climber. Visit her at KarenSwann.com.

Padmacandra grew up in Scotland, lives in Norfolk and graduated from the Cambridge School of Art. She is a Buddhist, poet, and artist. Visit her at Padmacandra.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/17/2022

Originally published in Great Britain, this lesson-oriented fantasy debut follows the kinship between a dark-haired, brown-skinned child and an expressive humpback whale, who encounter each other “where land becomes sky/ and sky becomes sea.” Gently undulating rhymes by Swann describe the duo cavorting with marine life, observing a shipwreck, and heading across a stunningly textured “ocean in motion” and then into tragedy: when the whale swallows up “the soup of the ocean” (a mass of discarded plastic and other refuse that distresses many creatures, including a turtle, a seagull, and a seal) the protagonist slowly realizes that beach cleanups are imperative. Padmacandra offers textural spreads in teals and peaches that conjure both the magic and human-created mess of the deep in this empathic first-person apologue. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

01/01/2022

K-Gr 2—A brown-skinned girl accepts a whale's invitation for an ocean tour. What starts as a delightful romp through the joys of the ocean, with much laughter and smiling—"We danced with the dolphins that waltzed through the sea"—turns dark as the whale shows the girl all the plastic he ingests while eating and how plastic is harming other ocean dwellers. Galvanized, she promises to tell everyone of the "plastic soup sea" and asks that readers help change this. The lyrical rhyming text deftly takes the story's message from joy to sadness to action. The illustrations are filled with texture and movement indicative of the sea, and the use of inclusive text placement with variety in the spreads echoes that feeling of movement. Padmacandra easily depicts the emotions of the whale and the girl with simple yet effective changes to posture and expressions. There are a few subtle hints depicting that all is not well in the ocean with plastic bottles hidden amongst the ocean's flora; this later becomes a visual focal point of the tale as readers see a plastic-filled ocean and its denizens in grave danger. VERDICT With a compelling message that children will easily understand, this call to action lacks only back matter with specific steps for aiding in the cleanup. Purchase as needed.—Catherine Callegari

School Library Journal

2021-12-03
A brown-skinned child has a whale of a time with a new friend, but not everything goes swimmingly.

The unnamed and ungendered child narrates the story, relating how they first spy the blue whale from the top of a lighthouse tower. Accepting the whale’s invitation—“I've so much to show you, if you'll come along”—the child mounts the smiling whale’s back, and the two set off “on the rocking-horse sea.” They happily frolic with various sea animals then descend to a shipwreck where a sunken treasure chest awaits; alas, only discarded plastic bottles are to be found inside the chest. Child and whale swim onward, enjoying colorful underwater vistas, until they reach Arctic waters. When the whale opens its mouth to feed and ingests a ton of discarded plastic, there is a touching moment when the creature seems to telepathically appeal to the child. “I understood now what he'd brought me to see,” says the chastened narrator who then enumerates some of the kinds of plastic trash that contribute to “the soup of the ocean.” A page turn reveals four wordless panels showing marine creatures entangled in debris. On the journey home, the narrator makes a bold promise to the whale. The lyrical text captures the joy of exploration and adds a meditative tone to the fanciful story. Poetic refrain is used effectively to underscore the emotional connection between the child and the concerned cetacean. Padmacandra’s textured crayon-and-ink illustrations add luminous depth to the moving tale and use gentle tones that temper the heavy message.

A heartfelt plea to change our wasteful ways. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews