"Excuse me, whale ... why did you leave the ocean behind to live on the land instead?"
The whales, many different kinds, walk out of the ocean. At first the towns people are, mostly, delighted but things start to go horribly wrong and something needs to be done. STOP - there must be a reason why the whales have moved onto the land. Thank goodness one child asks this all important question.
Walk of the whales is told in rhyme which is a very difficult form but one which many new authors try to employ. Nick Bland understands the form and he makes it work with his story so well.
Walk of the Whales was entered in our CBCA Book of the Year awards (Early Childhood) and it was a notable title, a short listed title and an honour book. I would share this book with children aged 8+ which oddly is beyond the age for the CBCA Early Childhood judging which is listed as 0-6. Here is a video where Nick talks about his book. If you have a Storybox library subscription you can hear/see this book read by Tamala Shelton. See inside this book and read more about the story at Paperbark Words.
The judges said: The magic and mystery of childhood imaginings are combined with the grand possibilities of illustrations, and a profound message about humanity’s interconnection with the planet. This weighty message is handled with a delicate touch, rhythmic text and a balance of imagination, humour and truth. There is a touching moment when a child queries the situation and the emotion in the whale’s blunt reply is beautifully framed by the tear in its eye. Less about pollution, this is a book about possibilities: the exchange of rubbish for the whales foregrounds the principle that for every action in nature, there is a consequence and there is always a fresh story and connection to discover.
Things to discuss/notice
- Visual jokes - "Presenting Whale Lake" ballet
- The role of the mass media
- Phrases - "Up and downs"
- Types of whales in the illustrations (spend some time on the title page)
- Themes of protest, disruption.
- Link this book to The emperor's New clothes - it is a child who sees the truth
- Research Greta Thunberg - why did Nick Bland call his character Freda?
- Listen to some whale songs
- Why are people now growing plankton? What is plankton? Which whales eat this?
- Discuss the concepts of opportunism andconsumerism
- Problem and solution - what might have happened if the protest movement in the town turned violent?
Design features I appreciate in this book include the debossed title, the full page illustrations which convey the enormity of this ocean creature, the small 'jokes' in the illustrations such as the little dog who is tied to the park bench and the skateboarder who has his board stuck in huge cracks in the road, and the farm scene with a 'no whales' sign. There is also a very poignant moment in this book where we see a tear falling from the eye of a whale.
Most Australian children are sure to have seen this book during or in the lead up to our Australian children's book week but I do hope this book will reach an international audience too.
I would pair this book with:
It is good to see Nick Bland has written a serious book. The message is important he has maintained a light touch so this is a book that will appeal to children and adults. Here are a few of his well known titles:
Nick Bland first came to my attention with these books:
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