Sure, I have a couple of old favorites: Baby Beluga is and always will be a winner, whether you read it or sing it or both, and Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale is still a hit with the kiddos, but I recently found some new favorites too!
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Breathe What a lovely book! The illustrations are gorgeous, and the spare text tells everything it needs to with only a few words. When I read this aloud the children were fascinated - and calm. I read it at a slow pace, taking a few moments to savor the words and pictures of different arctic animals on each page, and found the whole room taking a moment to breathe and slow down with me. This beauty would be wonderful as a calm down story in a hyped up classroom - haven't we all found ourselves needing to take a few deep breaths and calm the room? - and it is perfect for a snuggle up bedtime read aloud. I will definitely be reading Breathe again!
Following Papa's Song is my other new favorite! The illustrations absolutely glow, and like Breathe, there are just enough words on each page. The children were hanging on to every word by the end of the story, waiting for little whale to follow papa's song and find his daddy. Without making a point of it, this book surely taught my little ones that whales migrate and sing to communicate, while celebrating the close relationship between parent and child. I don't think I'd read this one as a bedtime story because I did have one child quite worried that little whale was lost, but for the classroom or library story time it's a winner!
Here are a few more whale books that I've enjoyed reading with children. The Gift is a little longer, more suited to early elementary grades - or at least to children with a longer attention span. Barbara Lavallee's illustrations are gorgeous as always, and the story feels like poetry.
The Whale's Song tells the story of Lilly doing what her grandmother used to do, and waiting at the end of the pier for whales to come. Again, this book feels like poetry. I would read it with kindergarten and first graders, and it too would make a lovely bedtime story, sending animal loving little ones off to sleep thinking about meeting a whale.
The Snail and the Whale almost made the cut for story time, but with time for only 3 books, I left it out this time. Snail and whale reminds me of Aesop's Lion and the Mouse - you might think there's nothing something so little could do to help something so big, but you'd be wrong.
Don't forget I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean when you're looking at whale books! Sure, the focus is on a giant squid, but look where he ends up! Yup, your kiddos will definitely remember that the squid is NOT the biggest thing in the ocean after reading this one! I blogged here about an activity my students enjoyed with this book, and created an ocean themed measurement center that can be used with it too.
Finally, another book that I almost chose for story time: The Whale In My Swimming Pool. This one will appeal to children (because sure, they imagine things like this all the time!), and parents (because we know our children imagine things like this all the time)! There's a surprise ending, which I won't spoil - you should go grab a copy and check it out for yourself!
I hope you enjoyed this round up of whale books! Is there something you'd like me to blog about, or a book topic you're looking for? Let me know, maybe I'll write about it next!
Happy reading!
Paula
