Quietly moving and richly illustrated, author Kirsten Pendreigh and illustrator Crystal Smith’s acclaimed picture book Maybe a Whale is a poignant story about loss, grief, reconnecting, searching for solace, and the pure magic of the natural world. A young girl is mourning the loss of her grandfather, and the adventures they had yet to go on together: “Mom shows me the note Grandpa left, with maps for my first ocean trip, Grandpa was always talking about the sea and his whales. He was supposed to take me to see them”. While the young girl’s mom decides the two of them will take a special trip to see the whales, the young girl doesn’t feel the trip will do any good as “Grandpa won’t be there”. What follows is a serenely written, tender adventure for the girl, beautifully exploring the wonders of the ocean and natural world as she and her mom paddle their kayak to a remote island destination in the hopes of seeing whales. As the climax to the story builds, the two muse on the stars, memories of Grandpa, and just maybe, maybe, that the surprising new sounds of “PUSHHHHHH! PUSHHHH! PUSHHHH!” heard under a starry night is exactly what they were hoping to discover. Pendreigh’s gently melodic storytelling- onomatopoeic at perfect moments, along with Smith’s glowing digitally painted artwork make for a truly gorgeous reading experience.

For jaunty, rhyming oceanic fun, look no further than Caroline Woodward and Claire Victoria Watson’s lively Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale?. Combining naturalistic animal and landscape illustrations with whimsically entertaining spreads, the Canadian duo of author Caroline Woodward and visual artist Claire Victoria Watson bring readers a treat for the senses. As the story opens on a spread of a humpback whale breaching, readers are asked: “Have you ever heard a whale exhale/and SLAP the water with its tail?/Breathing in after breathing out,/heaving WHOOSH with a mighty spout!”. The rhyming story then dips into cheeky, vibrant spreads of seals ‘playfully plopping’ (catch the seal with a monocle!), a cowboy-hat wearing dancing octopus, an operatic seagull, hungry oystercatchers, and many more animal friends. The story’s emphasis is on the immediacy of our senses- the rhyming couplets explore taste, smell, sound, and touch, and ask readers to immerse themselves- to imagine and wonder (or perhaps even think of their own memories, if they’ve had such similar experiences!). Readers who enjoy picture books or board books featuring West Coast wildlife- anything by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd; the West Coast Wild titles by Deborah Hodge and Karen Reczuch; or Nikki McClure’s 1 2 3, Salish Sea- may especially delight in this title.

I received a copy of Maybe A Whale courtesy of Groundwood Books in exchange for an honest review; I received a copy of Have You Heard A Whale Exhale courtesy of Zg Stories and Pownal Street Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own. Have You Ever Heard A Whale Exhale is set to publish June 18, 2024.