The stranded whale

Jane Yolen

Book - 2015

On their way home from school, Sally, Josh, and Martin discover a whale beached on the dunes and rally the town to help save the whale.

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Yolen Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press 2015.
Language
English
Main Author
Jane Yolen (author)
Other Authors
Melanie Cataldo (illustrator)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 x 27 cm
ISBN
9780763669539
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

It is 1971, and a girl named Sally and her brothers are walking home across the sand dunes of their Maine town when she sees "this big gray thing, humped on the drying sand." It's a beached gray whale, which Sally attempts to help by soaking her sweater in the ocean and squeezing water over the unmoving animal. Debut artist Cataldo's grainy, ash-toned oil and pencil illustrations emphasize the physical enormity of the dying whale, as well as the children's desperation and helplessness. Though neighbors arrive with buckets and attempt to push the whale toward the receding tide, it becomes clear that their efforts are to no avail: "I was too mad to cry. Mad at the unforgiving ocean, rushing away from shore. Mad at our short arms and the whale's long body." Even after being praised by the community for her efforts, the girl refuses to relinquish her anger. It's an achingly sad story about accepting the limits of one's power, delivered with lyricism and poise. Ages 5-9. Author's agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-4-While walking home from school along the Maine coast, Sally and her two brothers see a beached whale. With the tide ebbing, they rush to wet down the animal's tail and fins. After Josh runs to summon help, adult volunteers and Coast Guard members arrive. Efforts to move the whale prove futile. As Sally talks to it, the animal lets out "a huge sigh like the wind off the ocean" and dies. When a Coast Guard man present medals to the children, Sally expresses the irony to herself. "So, the whale died and we were heroes." Yolen masterfully conveys both the urgency of Sally's rush to save the whale and her anger and sorrow at its death. An author's note explains her decision to set the story in 1971, when lack of cell phones would delay the arrival of both helpers and broadcasters. She also discusses possible reasons for beachings, which usually end with the whale's death. Cataldo's paintings employ the grays, steel blues, and browns of a northern coastline. Clothing colors are also muted, and daylight gives way to evening, adding to the low-key and pensive mood. VERDICT This poignant story reminds readers that despite human efforts, not all living beings can be saved and honestly portrays the frustration and sadness that can result. A thought-provoking choice.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Three children find a beached whale on the Maine shore. They immediately act to help it survive and are joined by others, but their determination is not enough. The text, combining dramatic detail with deeply felt emotion, works with Cataldo's somber art to capture the magnificence of the creature and the tragedy of its passing. An author's note provides information about why whales beach. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A whale stranding becomes the occasion for a sad life lesson. Discovering a beached whale on the shore near their Maine home, Sally and her brothers, aided by the Coast Guard, do all they can to save it, without success. Yolen wisely sets her story in 1971, a time uncomplicated by cellphones or hovering parents. Sally's straightforward account is set in short lines on the double-page spreads. Through her voice, readers hear the surprise of their first encounter, the desperation of their efforts, their disappointment, and her anger and regret. Using digital and oil paints and pencil, debut illustrator Cataldo provides expansive seashore views and close-ups showing just a portion of the massive whale at a time. At one point readers see the whole scene in the distance as the children first did; another angle, high in the sky, shows a small Sally running toward the waves in an effort to get water to the drying whale. The darkness of the end is echoed in the dimly lit walk home, a sad family dinner, and the blue background of Sally's dream sea, which almost drowns the words of her going-to-sleep wish to have seen it "heading out to deep water, / lifting its tail, and diving deep, / and free." A moving, memorable addition to the nature collection. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.