Review by Booklist Review
A child tells the story of accepting a ride on the back of a friendly whale. After the land recedes from view, they dance with playful dolphins before diving down to see a shipwreck as well as the colorful, varied life on the ocean floor. The child observes the undersea world, saying, "We swam over mountains, / through valleys of sand-- / an ocean in motion, / a bright, busy land." The story takes a darker turn when the child watches the whale swallow seawater filled with plastic trash and notices other animals trapped by discarded plastic nets and rings. After returning home, the child looks directly at viewers and asks for help in cleaning up the sea. Throughout the book, the graceful cadence of the verse is as rhythmic as waves on the shore, and an increasingly familiar pattern emerges, encouraging listeners to add their voices as each verse ends. The mixed-media illustrations create a range of pleasing effects with rich colors and varied textures. An imaginative, age-appropriate introduction to a serious environmental issue.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Originally published in Great Britain, this lesson-oriented fantasy debut follows the kinship between a dark-haired, brown-skinned child and an expressive humpback whale, who encounter each other "where land becomes sky/ and sky becomes sea." Gently undulating rhymes by Swann describe the duo cavorting with marine life, observing a shipwreck, and heading across a stunningly textured "ocean in motion" and then into tragedy: when the whale swallows up "the soup of the ocean" (a mass of discarded plastic and other refuse that distresses many creatures, including a turtle, a seagull, and a seal) the protagonist slowly realizes that beach cleanups are imperative. Padmacandra offers textural spreads in teals and peaches that conjure both the magic and human-created mess of the deep in this empathic first-person apologue. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--A brown-skinned girl accepts a whale's invitation for an ocean tour. What starts as a delightful romp through the joys of the ocean, with much laughter and smiling--"We danced with the dolphins that waltzed through the sea"--turns dark as the whale shows the girl all the plastic he ingests while eating and how plastic is harming other ocean dwellers. Galvanized, she promises to tell everyone of the "plastic soup sea" and asks that readers help change this. The lyrical rhyming text deftly takes the story's message from joy to sadness to action. The illustrations are filled with texture and movement indicative of the sea, and the use of inclusive text placement with variety in the spreads echoes that feeling of movement. Padmacandra easily depicts the emotions of the whale and the girl with simple yet effective changes to posture and expressions. There are a few subtle hints depicting that all is not well in the ocean with plastic bottles hidden amongst the ocean's flora; this later becomes a visual focal point of the tale as readers see a plastic-filled ocean and its denizens in grave danger. VERDICT With a compelling message that children will easily understand, this call to action lacks only back matter with specific steps for aiding in the cleanup. Purchase as needed.--Catherine Callegari
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A brown-skinned child has a whale of a time with a new friend, but not everything goes swimmingly. The unnamed and ungendered child narrates the story, relating how they first spy the blue whale from the top of a lighthouse tower. Accepting the whale's invitation--"I've so much to show you, if you'll come along"--the child mounts the smiling whale's back, and the two set off "on the rocking-horse sea." They happily frolic with various sea animals then descend to a shipwreck where a sunken treasure chest awaits; alas, only discarded plastic bottles are to be found inside the chest. Child and whale swim onward, enjoying colorful underwater vistas, until they reach Arctic waters. When the whale opens its mouth to feed and ingests a ton of discarded plastic, there is a touching moment when the creature seems to telepathically appeal to the child. "I understood now what he'd brought me to see," says the chastened narrator who then enumerates some of the kinds of plastic trash that contribute to "the soup of the ocean." A page turn reveals four wordless panels showing marine creatures entangled in debris. On the journey home, the narrator makes a bold promise to the whale. The lyrical text captures the joy of exploration and adds a meditative tone to the fanciful story. Poetic refrain is used effectively to underscore the emotional connection between the child and the concerned cetacean. Padmacandra's textured crayon-and-ink illustrations add luminous depth to the moving tale and use gentle tones that temper the heavy message. A heartfelt plea to change our wasteful ways. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
