The tale of the whale

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Title:

The tale of the whale

Author:

Swann, Karen, author.

Padmacandra, illustrator.

Summary:

A whale takes a child on adventure across the ocean, and together they explore the wonders of the ocean world, but also the sad state of plastic pollution--and the child returns home to try and help the whale to save his marine home.

Audience:

Ages 4-8. Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Grades K-1. Margaret K. McElderry Books.

General Note:

"Originally published in Great Britain in 2021 by Scallywag Press Ltd."

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Physical Description:

32 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Stories in rhyme.

Subject Term:

Whales -- Juvenile fiction.

Plastic marine debris -- Juvenile fiction.

Marine pollution -- Juvenile fiction.

Environmental protection -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Padmacandra,

Publisher:

Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division,

Publication Date:

2022

2021

ISBN:

9781534493940

Publication Information:

New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2022.

Call Number:

P SWANN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003594069	Picture Books	SWANN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

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.

Author Notes

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.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

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

Publisher's Weekly Review

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.)