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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
A poem of patience and reward with quiet and sweet illustrations.
Julie Fogliano's "if you want to see a whale" gives readers advice about what they will (and will not) need if they want to see a whale. Readers will need an ocean, of course, but they will also need time to wait and look and wonder. But, during this, readers CANNOT look at the beautiful pink flowers or the pirate ships or the interesting clouds floating by. Will we ever see that whale?
This book is beautiful! Both the narrative and the illustrations work together to remind readers to stop and enjoy the small things in life. While we try and focus on the big picture, we forget to stop and smell the flowers, to enjoy nature around us, and to enjoy small things (as small as bugs!). This book is a joyful reminder of how to enjoy life.
I would connect this book with "I Am Human: A Book of Empathy," by Susan Verde. Both books remind readers to pay attention to small things, to appreciate the earth around us, and to be kind to ourselves.
I would use this as a book to introduce mindfulness in the classroom. What are some small things we can observe to make us appreciate where we are? What can we notice to make us happier? What can we do to calm ourselves down? How can we appreciate nature today?
This book is beautiful! Both the narrative and the illustrations work together to remind readers to stop and enjoy the small things in life. While we try and focus on the big picture, we forget to stop and smell the flowers, to enjoy nature around us, and to enjoy small things (as small as bugs!). This book is a joyful reminder of how to enjoy life.
I would connect this book with "I Am Human: A Book of Empathy," by Susan Verde. Both books remind readers to pay attention to small things, to appreciate the earth around us, and to be kind to ourselves.
I would use this as a book to introduce mindfulness in the classroom. What are some small things we can observe to make us appreciate where we are? What can we notice to make us happier? What can we do to calm ourselves down? How can we appreciate nature today?
It seems to me that the text of If You Want to See a Whale does several things extremely well, and a few things maybe not as well. The sound of the book when read aloud is fantastic -- Julie Fogliano has a keen ear for alliteration and assonance, and lines such as the ones in which she describes clouds "in the sky that's spread out, side to side" are a joy just to say. The ending of the book in the text is also beautifully ambiguous, fading out on the lines "and wait... / and wait... / and wait..." The last of illustrator Erin E. Stead's pictures shows the whale quest coming to a successful end, but it does so wordlessly -- although she's given us a tidy ending, Fogliano as author has declined to do so.
The main thing that bothered me -- and maybe it's just from sitting through too many Creative Writing workshops back in college -- was the book's unwillingness to fully commit to its central conceit. I know that the book isn't really about whale-watching at all, but a metaphor is best when it works on both the literal and figurative levels. A window isn't helpful for watching for whales (or at least, nowhere near as helpful as being outside), and if you're on a beach or in a boat, roses and bugs aren't likely distractions.
This doesn't mean that If You Want to See a Whale isn't a delight, but I do think it means that it's not destined to be a classic.
A longer version of this review appears at abouttomock.blogspot.com
The main thing that bothered me -- and maybe it's just from sitting through too many Creative Writing workshops back in college -- was the book's unwillingness to fully commit to its central conceit. I know that the book isn't really about whale-watching at all, but a metaphor is best when it works on both the literal and figurative levels. A window isn't helpful for watching for whales (or at least, nowhere near as helpful as being outside), and if you're on a beach or in a boat, roses and bugs aren't likely distractions.
This doesn't mean that If You Want to See a Whale isn't a delight, but I do think it means that it's not destined to be a classic.
A longer version of this review appears at abouttomock.blogspot.com
Beautifully written, full of whimsy and truth, and wonderfully drawn, I see myself returning back to enjoy this book over and over again.
http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2013/12/picture-book-saturday_14.html
Fogliano and Stead pair up again and this time a boy and dog are on search for whales but do they just look for the whales and miss all that is around them or look around and possibly miss the whales. Stead's illustrations are gorgeous.
Prep for this summer's Reading Buddies
Meh, nothing special. In fact, this might be (only?) appropriate for reading to kids who live on the coast and may actually be waiting and watching for a whale.
Meh, nothing special. In fact, this might be (only?) appropriate for reading to kids who live on the coast and may actually be waiting and watching for a whale.
The incredible partnership that brought you And Then It’s Spring last year has recreated a similar magic in their second book together. In this book, a young boy heads to the sea to try to spot a whale. There are things that you must have to see a whale, one is time to wait and another is a way to not get too comfortable and doze off while waiting. There are also things that you must ignore, like sweet pink roses that want you to look at them or boats that are floating by or insects crawling in the grass. Just keep your eyes on the sea and wait. And then…
Fogliano’s writing is poetry. She lets us wander into distractions, taking our own eyes off the sea to explore the grass, the roses and the clouds in the sky. Her pacing is delicious, making us wait for the payoff in the end in a way that doesn’t promise anything other than the wait and the sea itself. It is that wait and that meander that makes this book so wonderful. In other words, she makes the book about the journey, about being in the moment, about noticing.
Stead’s illustrations are done in her signature style with fine lines and organic colors that seem to come from childhood crayons. Adding the friendly dog into the story works well, he serves as another pair of eyes both watching for the whale and being distracted.
Lovely, simple and filled with charm, this picture book is thoughtful, quiet and worth the wait. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Fogliano’s writing is poetry. She lets us wander into distractions, taking our own eyes off the sea to explore the grass, the roses and the clouds in the sky. Her pacing is delicious, making us wait for the payoff in the end in a way that doesn’t promise anything other than the wait and the sea itself. It is that wait and that meander that makes this book so wonderful. In other words, she makes the book about the journey, about being in the moment, about noticing.
Stead’s illustrations are done in her signature style with fine lines and organic colors that seem to come from childhood crayons. Adding the friendly dog into the story works well, he serves as another pair of eyes both watching for the whale and being distracted.
Lovely, simple and filled with charm, this picture book is thoughtful, quiet and worth the wait. Appropriate for ages 4-6.