Emma and the Whale

White’s (Arctic White) atmospheric, vintage-style watercolors transport readers to the seaside home of a girl named Emma, a landscape of shingled white cottages, rocky outcrops, pine trees, and sandy beaches. Newcomer Case describes Emma’s intimacy with ocean life and her love for it; she even imagines herself back in the age of whalers, shouting to ship captains, “Please don’t hurt the whales.” When Emma spots a beached baby whale, she acts instantly to save the creature, using the power of the rising tide to push the whale back into the water. As she works, she finds she can understand the whale’s thoughts: “I’m scared,” the whale thinks. “Don’t be,” Emma tells her. The introductory section lags a bit, and the whale, though more than a prop, isn’t a fully developed character, despite its telepathic connection with Emma. Yet Case’s debut fulfills the human fantasy of rescuing a wild creature in trouble while presenting a can-do story of a girl performing a remarkable physical feat: “She took a deep breath and tried again. I can do this.” Ages 4–8. [em]Illustrator’s agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Mar.) [/em]