The Night Whale

PreS-Gr 2–This picture book is poetry for the eyes and artistic soul. A young girl and her grandmother visit the beach at night to meet the night whale, a magical creature who swims through the sky. With the whale’s permission, the characters ride on her back around the world, visiting various places. At first, they are content to simply observe and appreciate, but on the way home, they project their own artistic visions onto the sky. The girl learns an important truth: the path of the artist begins with observing beautiful things. O’Mara’s artwork is jaw-dropping; the use of color is spectacular, communicating a sense of movement and wonder. Close-up drawings of the night whale’s eyes are so sensitively portrayed that they border on heartbreaking. Mackenzie’s lines are particularly exquisite: “The stars sparkle/ like chocolates wrapped in the brightest foil./ I reach for one and then another.”