- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: A & C Black; New edition edition (Mar 1 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1854305050
- ISBN-13: 978-1854305053
- Product Dimensions: 28.7 x 23.1 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,261,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this haunting, evocative picture book, Lilly's grandmother tells her that, when she was young, she used to leave gifts for the whales--"a perfect shell. Or a beautiful stone. And if they liked you, the whales would take your gift and give you something in return." Lilly's great-uncle Frederick claims that the story is "nothing but a silly old tale," that she shouldn't "be dreaming her life away." But one morning, Lilly, believing her grandmother's claim that "they were the most wondrous creatures you could ever imagine," drops a yellow flower into the water. " 'This is for you,' she called into the air," and later that night she sits waiting, like a mermaid on a rock, finally receiving a gift in return. Filling the night with their song, the whales call Lilly's name. Infused with the cadences of real speech, Sheldon's poetic text manages to overlay a homespun practicality with an ethereal, fairy-tale magic. The unique grandeur and beauty of these creatures, "as peaceful as the moon," are compellingly interwoven throughout the narrative. Newcomer Blythe's paintings are extraordinary. The play of light and shadow in his cozy interiors is delicately balanced against stunningly realistic faces--Lilly's purity and innocence, her elders' splendidly craggy countenances. Rendered in unusual perspectives, these vibrant panoramas of the sea and of the whales leaping from the moonlit water possess a rare luminosity and beauty that should not be missed. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-- Lilly's grandmother tells tales of singing whales who came from miles away in answer to a child's desire to see them dance across the waves. One night, Lilly hears the whales and watches breathlessly as they "leaped and jumped and spun across the moon." Then, waking from what she thinks is a dream, she hears them call her name. Sheldon's brief story seems to be a celebration of the joys of fantasy and the belief in magical happenings. It is enriched by Blythe's wonderfully evocative paintings, which range from warm, realistic close-up portraits to dramatically moonlit seascapes. But beyond the pleasures of the dreamlike mood, the book has little substance. There is no deeper level of meaning, no foundation is offered for the idea that whales are magical, and certainly in the dolphinlike behavior of the whales there is no information on the actual habits and habitats of these wondrous creatures of the deep. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, loving story, exceptional paintings.,
By
This review is from: The Whales' Song (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)
As a homeschooling parent I read this book with my children as we were doing a unit study on sound.Whales have a the ability to make a much higher pitched sound than the human ear can hear. It is their song, or communicating which facinates us. This book offers magnificent and realistic paintings which will delight your eyes as well as your heart. The grandmother tells of the whales, is it real or fantasy? All the while a great uncle so blatently informs the little girl what whales were used for in the past. As we know, whales have much larger brains then ours- who is to say they would not sing for a kind gesture from a loving stranger? This book has found a special place in our home library, I hope it will for you or someone you love as well.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not my niece's favorite,
By The story is good, but not excellent. The relationship between the main character and her grandmother is very well drawn. However, the book wavers between real life and the dream world. At the end of the book when the whales call the main character's name, we had to answer questions about whether the girl was going to live with the whales forever because they had called her. This is not a bad book, but a bit too disquieting to become a favorite for us.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beatriz and Constantin's review,
By Beatriz Gonzalez-Vivas (Caracas, Venezuela, South America) - See all my reviews
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