Waiting for the Whales

by Sheryl McFarlane, Ron Lightburn (Illustrator)

Overview

Waiting for the Whales illuminates the unique friendship between grandparent and child and celebrates the restorative power of the natural world.

An old man lives alone on a bluff overlooking the sea, tends his garden and waits. Only when the whales return each year to the bay in front of his cottage is his loneliness eased. Until, one day, an unexpected visitor arrives. Originally published over thirty years ago, this award-winning picture book is sure to enchant a whole new generation of readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459804746
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	12/07/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD840L (what's this?)
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Sheryl McFarlane is the author of more than a dozen award-winning books for young readers. A former teacher, Sheryl loves bike riding, beachcombing and discovering new books for her grandchildren. She lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, where she keeps a little free library stocked with books for her friends and neighbors.

Ron Lightburn's career as a children's book illustrator was launched with his Governor General's Award-winning artwork for Waiting for the Whales in 1991. Since then he has illustrated numerous other bestselling picture books and has become internationally renowned for his sensitive storytelling skills and range of illustration styles.

Read an Excerpt

The old man watched the pod of orcas leap and breach and smack their tail flukes against the water. And as he stood on the bluff, his heart leapt with the whales below. It seemed to him that there was nothing more wonderful than these great mammals of the sea.

Editorial Reviews

Already the winner of the Canadian National Book Award, this luminous picture book--a first effort for both collaborators--tells the simple story of an old man who lives alone in a house overlooking the sea. His life has assumed a cozy regularity to match the seasons: collecting firewood and clams in wintertime; planting his garden in the spring; and, in summer, watching his beloved orca whales swimming by. When his daughter comes to visit one spring with a new infant, the man has someone with whom to share his love of the natural world--especially the whales. Written in precisely cadenced prose, McFarlane's story about thecycles of life--while not a new theme--is so deftly handled that it becomes genuinely moving. (The old man dies, and his daughter comforts the child: ``Don't be sad, sweet girl. Your grandfather's spirit has gone to leap and swim with the whales.'') The meticulousness of Lightburn's pastel drawings perfectly complements this gentle scenario--his use of light and shade, for example, proves remarkable. One drawing in particular, of the old man and his granddaughter examining a small branch in the woods, serves as a compelling portrait of intergenerational love that sums up this book's joyous, life-affirming mood. Ages 4-up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3-- In this quiet story, an old man lives simply, gardening, walking in the woods, and waiting for the whales that travel up and down the coast on which he lives. One spring, his daughter and her baby come to live with him. As the child grows, he shares with her his love of whales. After he dies, the girl and her mother carry on the same life, consoled by the thought that he is now with the whales in spirit. The text, although a bit too repetitive, reads smoothly. The lovely colored-pencil drawings, which have a sculptural, formal quality to them, beautifully capture the sense of waiting and stillness. Lightburn is especially skillful in his use of light and shadows, and in depicting mist and ocean spray. He also adds a nice touch with the hat that the grandfather usually wore, which the girl has on her head at the end. An impressive debut for a Canadian author and illustrator. --Kathleen Odean, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI

School Library Journal

A quiet picture book from Canada celebrates the wild, solitary places. An old man alone on an island works his huge garden and waits each summer for the whales to come close to the shore. He walks in the woods he's known all his life. When his daughter comes home and brings her small daughter, the old man shows his grandchild his world, and together they wait for the whales. The human connection across generations with the wide natural world is expressed in the rhythmic text and the framed colored-pencil drawings. When the old man dies, the child's loss is quietly portrayed in the picture of his hat on the porch in the shadows at her feet. Then there's the final joyful picture of the whales cutting through the water at sunset, a new calf among them.

Stuart Miller

"This beautifully written, sensitive story reflects on an important relationship between young and old...This text is skillfully enhanced by the accomplished artwork of Ron Lightburn...Twenty-five years later this enchanting book has been republished, proving that it is a classic appealing across the generations. It should be welcomed once again on the shelves in school libraries and classroom collections."

Resource Links

"A delicate and beautifully executed book."

Canadian Literature

"Waiting for the Whales, a multi-award winning (for both author and illustrator) picture book, was described as 'timeless' when originally published in 1991. Twenty-five years later, it lives up to that praise, remaining very much a story for today. The premise, setting, themes and illustrative style still inspire in this classic story written from the heart…Be sure to add this gentle but captivating story to your picture book collection. Waiting for the Whales will remain a favorite to reread for generations to come."

CM Magazine

"This gentle and poignant tale features striking photorealist coloured-pencil artwork."

Canadian Children's Book Centre Classic Canadian Reading