I Know the Whale

When the child narrator of this memory-anchored picture book encounters the body of a blue whale on a beach, the child’s reactions occupy a new space (“I don’t always know the name for every feeling”). The child’s internal processing, and their papa’s knowledge about the natural world, make it easy to imagine the animal’s life (“Blue in blue,/ singing songs down deep”). Moody spreads by Schu (Star and the Maestro) echo the curves of the whale’s body in the swells of sand dunes and waves rippling ashore. In a second act, the child, having encountered another loss, views the whale’s skeleton reassembled as a museum exhibit, a visit that brings past energies to mind. The child greets the whale’s skeleton and senses a response: “from very far away,/ I hear the whale singing,” writes Yardi (the Coral Keepers series). This unexpected moment spotlights ways in which life inspires awe, and death summons anchoring memories and emotional intimacy. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Erin Casey Westin, Gallt & Zacker Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Chad W. Beckerman, CAT Agency. (Apr.)