Jonah's Whale

In retelling a story common to the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, Spinelli cleverly takes a limited--and nonsectarian--perspective: the whale's. The whale's point of view is developed with simplicity and touches of humor ("Whale was troubled. Where was God?. . . 'It will not be my fault if I throw up!'"). Fluid watercolor and colored-pencil illustrate this entertaining version.

In retelling a story common to the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, Spinelli cleverly takes a limited -- and nonsectarian -- perspective: the whale’s. After God tells Whale to "save the man Jonah" when he’s cast into the sea, he leaves Whale on his own, wondering what to do next and feeling "very queasy" with Jonah sloshing and praying inside him. On the third day, hoping to comfort Jonah as well as himself, Whale sings his joyful, God-given song, whereupon a divine whisper advises him to deliver Jonah to dry land. We learn nothing here of what Jonah takes from his experience. Whale, however, is subtly altered: henceforth, he monitors boats in storms, just in case. Spinelli develops Whale’s point of view with simplicity and touches of humor ("Whale was troubled. Where was God?…‘It will not be my fault if I throw up!’"). In fluid watercolor and colored pencil, Ferri’s appealing Whale has kindly eyes, affectionate parents, and an ample diet of fish; he swims amiably through translucent blue-green seascapes, occasionally crowned with skies of coral and gold. There’s drama and variety in the storm, in Whale’s habitat and action, and in glimpses of Jonah within. This is an entertaining version of the familiar tale; it’s also a thought-provoking look at an essential player’s perception of his role in an event whose full meaning is beyond his understanding. joanna rudge long