Whale - Hardcover

David Lucas studied illustration at the Royal College of Art. His books have been translated into seven languages.

Kindergarten-Grade 3—This metaphysical fish story is awash in diverse symbolism, literary devices, and oblique mystical and doctrinal references in both text and art. Jarred from sleep by a tsunami that strikes the shores of his village and strands a hapless whale outside his window, Joe and his grandmother, May, ascend their chimney and climb to the tip-top of the great creature, where all the townsfolk (and "even the Owl who had lived in the Clock Tower") have congregated. What to do? Make mincemeat of the poor beached behemoth? No—better refer to the higher powers of nature and wait for an answer. Owl asks the Wind, the Wind asks the Sun, the Sun asks the Moon, and the Moon asks the Innumerable Stars. Their enigmatic reply? Sing! The Rain Song brings a deluge, the town floods, the whale floats, and the townspeople are now stranded, atop its back. Whale drinks, land appears, the landlubbers are returned to terra firma, and the leviathan is returned to the bay. Lucas's pictures are sort of quirky opera buffa, complete with Japanese-inspired waves and a cast of characters costumed in his now-signature bizarre chapeaux. There's a message in there somewhere (in fact, there may be two or three), but it's all a bit esoteric for the intended audience.—Kathy Krasniewicz, Perrot Library, Old Greenwich, CT
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