If You Want to See a Whale

Fogliano and Stead team up again to examine the relationship between patience and reward, trading the gardening theme of And Then It's Spring for a maritime setting. The text resembles a series of brief poems, each beginning with the phrase of the title: "if you want to see a whale/ you will need a window/ and an ocean/ and time for waiting/ and time for looking/ and time for wondering 'is that a whale?' " Stead's pencil and linoleum prints--as delicate, understated, and imaginative as ever--take exciting creative license with Fogliano's expressive writing. When the author cautions against getting too comfortable ("because sleeping eyes can't watch for whales"), a redheaded boy--the one seeking the whale--is seen leaning over a yellow armchair, peering down into the pale green sea in which it bobs. Gentle irony courses through the story: when Fogliano warns against being sidetracked by fragrant wild roses or the possibility of pirates in the harbor, it's clear that those "distractions," while certainly different than the split-second magic of spotting a whale, are treasures in themselves. Ages 2-6. Illustrator's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (May)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2--A poetic text advises children what to do (and not do) if they want to see a whale, as the illustrations show a boy, a dog, and a bird trying out the actions suggested: ."..if you want to see a whale, /you will need a not-so-comfy chair/and a not-so-cozy blanket/because sleeping eyes can't watch for whales..." and ."..if you want to see a whale/you shouldn't watch the clouds/...because if you start to look straight up/you might just miss a whale." An imaginative effort, the book uses linoleum printing techniques and pencil for the softly colored illustrations. It is also designed with a great deal of white space, which deftly evokes the mystery and vastness of the sea. A unique and lovely offering that will appeal to sensitive and patient children.--Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.