I will never forget one summer several years ago when we packed up our clothes, toothbrushes, and kids and set out on a family adventure. We went to Alaska with the hopes of seeing a whale. We went on one of those whale watching tours, and it was wonderful except for the fact that our youngest family member was 15 months old and got great pleasure in freaking his parents out by running from one side of the boat to the other. We were sure he would end up whale food. He didn't, and we all got to see several hump back whales. Seeing that giant tail fin slide out of the water and flop back down in a splash was unforgettable! Highly recommend the experience!
The Whale by Ethan and Vita Murrow is an almost wordless story set in a New England seaside town where a local mystery is about to be solved. Fifty years prior, two kids claimed to have seen a giant whale just off the town's coast, and the whole town wants to set out to prove that the mysterious giant really does exist. Just like the first spotting, two kids brave the stormy ocean to get a glimpse of the whale.
We liked the black and white sketches in this. They did a good job of guiding the reader through the story, but after reading wordless stories like Journey and Quest by Aaron Becker with their super detailed illustrations, I felt like I wanted the pictures in The Whale to do a little more work than they did. For that reason, I feel like this is a book for elementary school kids and not preschoolers. There just aren't enough context clues in the pictures to tell a story that preschoolers would find engaging. That being said, it is a lovely story with some really amazing artwork. Any fans of whales would really enjoy it!