All day, Whale swims through the ocean, wearing a poster advertising the
big upcoming art exhibition. He visits the eel who wriggles abstract
patterns in the sand, the squid who paints with ink, and the hammerhead
shark who builds sculptures from salvage. Whale sees his friends'
confidence and creativity and wishes he could be an artist too, but he
doesn't know what to make and insists he's too ungainly to create art.
Then one day, with the unexpected help of some bioluminescent plankton,
he discovers his own distinct point of view and talent.
From the award-winning author-illustrator of What Animals Really Like,
hailed by School Library Journal as "sublime silliness," comes another
inspiring tale about defying expectation and finding the artist within.
Praise for Whale Shines
STARRED REVIEW
At its core, Robinson's (What Animals Really Like) story is a tried
and true tale of a wallflower realizing his potential. But her
understated, offbeat voice and visuals--a mashup of classicism and
graphic novel sensibilities--makes this a standout: up-to-the-minute
modern in its irreverence and offhandedness, yet timeless in its
understanding of a character's yearning.
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
Sharp contrasts between light and dark are beautiful.
--Kirkus Reviews
Children will embrace and understand the sincere, undervalued message of
art as substantive and a way to "share one's world." This inspiring tale
of artistic collaboration between the whale and bioluminescent plankton
will be shared again and again.
--School Library Journal
The watercolor and pencil art makes excellent use of the spreads' wide
horizontality; while the art projects and, indeed, the underwater world
are on the literal side for such an artistic-themed story, there's a
murky charm to life in the briny deep... What's particularly appealing
here is the casual inclusion of a wide variety of approaches to art,
making this an entertaining lead-in to art projects, especially those
involving the natural world.
--Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books
