Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Spinelli (Something to Tell the Grandcows) freshens the familiar titular Bible story by showing events from the point of view of the whale. He is big and he has lots of teeth, but he is also playful and majestic, and sings joyfully to praise God. One day during a fierce storm God commands him: "Save the man Jonah." Down the hatch goes the prophet, and the whale waits, patient, puzzled, and eventually queasy, for further instruction. Of course it comes, and thereafter prophet and whale are bonded. Spinelli's spin on the whale tale is gentle. Full-bleed watercolor and colored pencil illustrations by Ferri (Ant and Grasshopper) are appropriately scaled for the leviathan subject, and the soft blue palette and undulating lines of the sea reinforce a soothing sense that God will indeed deliver. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) ? (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Whale lives happily in the sea until the night God tells him to rescue a drowning man and, subsequently, to spit that man onto the shore. The text is lyrical and the cartoonlike watercolors are lush, but this picture book must be read as a companion to the biblical story of Jonah. It does not stand on its own and is written strictly from the whale's point of view. Whale learns no lesson from his encounter with Jonah; his faith never wavers, so it is not reaffirmed; and he never discovers the point of the incident. A good choice for collections that also include the original story.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In retelling a story common to the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, Spinelli cleverly takes a limited -- and nonsectarian -- perspective: the whales. After God tells Whale to "save the man Jonah" when hes 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 Whales 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, Ferris 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. Theres drama and variety in the storm, in Whales habitat and action, and in glimpses of Jonah within. This is an entertaining version of the familiar tale; its also a thought-provoking look at an essential players perception of his role in an event whose full meaning is beyond his understanding. joanna rudge long (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book. 4-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
