Whale
by David Lucas
A whale is beached on top of a small town, his vast expanse covering all the houses. The townsfolk clamber up onto his back and discuss how they can move him and rescue their homes.
After consultation with an owl, the wind, the sun, the moon and finally the stars, the people join together to sing a rain song, which floods the town and allows the whale to float off.
By way of thanks for their kindness, the whale comes up with an ingenious plan to get the people back on dry land and to help them to restore their town.
This is a beautiful book - Lucas's palate is colourful and his characters distinctive. Most impressive of all is his depiction of the mighty and mysterious whale.
Publisher: Andersen Press
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David Lucas
David Lucas was born in Middlesbrough and grew up in Hackney, in east London. His stories are a mix of fairytale and autobiography, and his aim in all his work is to communicate his belief that the world is a magical place. As a child he enjoyed drawing and writing, and he went on to study at St Martin’s School of Art and then the Royal College of Art. He enjoys football, cooking and history.
In 2008 he was chosen as one of Booktrust's Best New Illustrators, as part of their Big Picture initiative. Halibut Jackson was 'favourite children's book of 2004' on Amazon.com, and picked as one of the top 10 children's books of that year (across all genres) by both Publisher's Weekly and Child magazine in the US. David currently lives in Lewes in East Sussex.Read an interview with David.
http://www.davidlucas.org.uk/
David Lucas
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Reading Age: 5+
Interest level: 5+
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