Little Whale

Grey Whale leads Little Whale north in this quietly appealing picture book from British author/illustrator Jo Weaver. The pair swim through the vast ocean, with Little Whale observing the watery world around them and wondering what "home" will be like. As the water grows steadily colder, and they must outswim orcas, mother and child work hard to reach their destination, and their reunion with their larger family...

Published in 2018, Little Whale was Weaver's second picture book, following upon her 2016 debut, Little One. Like that earlier title, it follows a mother-child duo in the natural world—bears in the earlier book, and grey whales here—and emphasizes the relationship between the two. There is a scientific basis to the show more story—in her very brief comments on the colophon, Weaver mentions the grey whale's 12,400-mile annual migration, upon which the narrative is based—but the focus is as much on the maternal bond as anything else, with Little Whale finding reassurance and safety with Grey Whale. The accompanying artwork, done in charcoal, has a lovely textured feeling, and a limited color palette that ably captures the feeling of being in a twilight underwater world. Although I found the visuals here lovely, I confess to be a smidgeon disappointed, given the more colorful cover, in the lack of color in the interior artwork. That said, on the whole I think the illustrations did capture the feeling of being in a watery world very well. After all, water may look blue from the land, but undoubtedly doesn't from the sea, especially the northern sea. Recommended as a bedtime book for younger whale lovers, perhaps four and under. show less

Stunning artwork and a beautiful story about a baby whale and his mother traveling to go to their home. Sort of like "are we there yet" but in the sea with whales. Loved it!

The book follows the migration of a grey whale and her calf, and a lot of the text amounts to "are we there yet?" The illustrations, however, are astonishing in their richness -- have perfectly captured a vision of being underwater. The limited palate is extraordinarily effective.