In this beautiful story of kindness and empathy, loneliness and love, one creature finds that the help he needs is just a song and a sigh away.
Whale's beautiful song winds its way through the ocean, reaching the farthest of faraways. His song is one of happiness and hope, magic and wonder--and Whale's fellow sea creatures are calmed, cheered, and lulled by it. But though Whale sings his tender song day after day, night after night, Whale wonders why he has no song to fill his empty heart. So when he lets out a mournful sigh, the ocean carries it like a wish through its fathoms, bringing it to just the right place.
Filled with stunning art and poetic language, this poignant story reminds us that being kind and helping a friend in need is sometimes the most beautiful thing of all.---from the publisher
40 pages 978-1984836274 Ages 4-7
Keywords: whale, whale song, ocean, marine life, kindness, empathy, love, sea creatures, hope, helping others, friends, friendship, loneliness, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, love, understanding others
********
"Watching and waiting
For someone to understand me
I hope it won’t be very long”
-- The Moody Blues (1969)
“Humans and whales have plenty of things in common. They are the largest groups of mammals in the world when it comes to distribution locations. They come in a variety of sizes and have different behaviors. They also create different behaviors and languages within their own cultures as humans do...Both are quite affectionate in many ways too. Whales have been seen rubbing and caressing each other as a human couple would.”
-- from whale-world.com “Whales and Humans”
I love warm seas. I don’t get to frequent them as often as I wish I could, but when I do, I can spend hours out past the breakers, swimming and bobbing around. If you’re like me, you know how it feels after an hour or two: you can come out of the water and continue to feel the ebb and flow of the sea coursing inside of you. On such occasions, I’ve imagined how lucky my whale cousins are. They get to spend their entire lives navigating the seas, forever feeling the pull of the sun and moon upon their watery world.
“Whale’s song was so beautiful
it could reach the farthest of faraways.
It sang of happiness and hope,
magic and wonder,
always and everywhere.
It was a calming sonata
for a wriggly octopus
A cheerful symphony
for a sad urchin.
An orchestra for a ballet of ocean flowers.”
Watercolors are the primary medium employed by author/illustrator Anna Pignataro in this stunningly beautiful picture book. A bright palette produces a visual sense of joy and aliveness as Whale spends his days singing and swimming amidst octopuses and urchins; jellyfish and seahorses.
But then we learn that Whale’s heart is empty and yearning. This is the reason he transmits a wish, a wish that, in due course, is answered by another whale who comes to his rescue.
“Together they sang
of happiness and hope,
magic and wonder.”
There is something so human-like about the heart connection that binds the pair of marine mammals in this happily-ending story. I encourage you to dive into this sweetly-sung whale tale.
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
See more of Richie's Picks
