Scott Magoon has illustrated many critically-acclaimed picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Rescue & Jessica by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, which also received a Schneider Family Book Award, Straw by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman. He is the author-illustrator of Breathe, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Read Aloud and a Best Book of the Year by the HuffPost and Chicago Public Library. Scott lives in the Boston area with his wife and two sons. Visit him online at ScottMagoon.com.
A very young white whale swims into the wider world of the arctic
seas, celebrating first adventures of the very young.
Magoon’s digital art captures the colors and crisp, airy light of
the Arctic setting; cartoon lines and wide eyes present creatures
above and under the ice as friendly, rounded and smiling. Even the
polar bear—seen against the sky through an ice hole as a dark
shadow, possibly threatening—is fairly benign. The little whale
(clearly a baby beluga but not named as such) is doing the work
that toddlers do—exploring the world with mama nearby. The few
words of the text speak both to whale baby and, by extension, to
the listener: “Play all day // and swim, / and swim, / and swim. //
Breathe.” This last (“Breathe”) appears on a double-page spread in
which the young whale is surrounded by the vast sea, snowy
mountains, and a pale, bright sun. Then a dive changes the palette
from the pale blues and whites of the surface through greeny
yellows and finally to dark: Here, what was perhaps an arctic
whaler, stilled and slightly ghostly, sits on the seafloor. The
simple adventure concludes with an anthropomorphic yet welcome
invitation: “Most of all, love / and be loved.”
Richly composed and sweetly appealing—just right for baby
storytimes as well as one-to-one sharing. (Picture book. 6
mos.-3)
*Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW*
With the encouragement of its mother, a young whale spends the day
exploring, making new friends, finding shipwrecks, and swimming
past glaciers, while intermittently pausing to “breathe” during its
busy day. When the whale encounters a polar bear and becomes
frightened, its mother soon reappears and assures its safety. This
comforting tale not only gives youngsters the opportunity to
explore the ocean alongside a whale but also subtly reminds them of
the importance of slowing down to take a break every once in a
while. Magoon’s illustrations, which were rendered digitally, are
vibrant and expansive, each filling a spread with vivid shades of
blue. The minimal text is laid out in clear, big font, supporting
the impressive illustrations without ever overshadowing them. With
its succinct text and sprawling pictures, this story is perfectly
suitable as a read-aloud. Pair it with Stephanie St. Pierre’s What
the Sea Saw (Peachtree, 2006) for a gentle, ocean-themed
storytime.
*School Library Journal*
A brand new baby white whale swims off for the first time to
investigate his ocean world. The playful calf
frolics with puffins, jellyfish, crabs, and googly-eyed fish; sings
to narwhals and squid; explores a pirate
ship; and smiles at polar bears peeking through holes in the arctic
ice. When he emerges out of midnight
arctic waters, his spout sprays in mists. As he dives deep, his
glowing gurgles and frothy foam are sharply
delineated against indigo waters. Every few pages the word breathe
repeats, reminding readers that whales
need to come to the surface for air. When the baby sleeps
contentedly on the back of his loving mother, he
dreams under the stars and the moon in a black sky lit by
blue-green northern lights. Endpapers sport
duplicate pods of white whales swimming on an aqua background.
Every double-page spread is filled with
delights. Several words per page (“play all day” or “make
friends”), simple shapes, and bright digitalized
colors tell this story about the joys of exploring our world.
*Booklist*
In this arctic, glacial tale, little whale is pushed by his mother
to experience life at its fullest and savor the full spectrum of
emotions and experiences encountered daily in his world above and
below the ocean waves. Magoon uses few words and simple sentences
making this an ideal title for young readers. Additionally, his use
of uncomplicated illustrations, mostly in shades of blue, lend a
coolness to the feeling of the story, allowing the reader to
practically experience the chill of the waters where little whale
lives.
*October 2014*
Richly composed and sweetly appealing—just right for baby
storytimes as well as one-to-one sharing.
*Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW*
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