Notes from the Klaus Flugge judges;A small child begins a magical journey on the back of a huge and beautiful baleen whale. Together they sail the oceans, dancing with dolphins, diving through the blue seas and exploring the ocean beds. The judges admired the way the illustrations carry the story “so that you are swimming with the whale”. Padmacandra’s images are full of atmosphere and beautiful to look at.
'Where land becomes sky and the sky becomes sea, I first saw the whale, and the whale first saw me. And high on the breeze came his sweet-sounding song 'I've so much to show you, if you'll come along'.
Come on a magical journey of wonder and discovery from misty seaside shorelines to cold ice capped seas. This beautiful tale of friendship between a child and a whale invites us to consider our responsibilities towards the environment and makes a direct plea to end plastic pollution.
'A rolling, rhyming text that scans and richly textured images celebrate the sea through a child's lyrical journey on the back of a whale. With a concluding call to arms about clearing the plastic soup.' - The Sunday Times Culture Magazine
'Not since 'The Snowman' has a journey conjured so much sheer joy, connection and imagination... empowering and positive, a book that explores our connection with the natural world, text and images working beautifully together.' Books for Keeps, Book of the Week
Author
About Karen Swann
Karen Swann grew up in the UK and trained as a physiotherapist in a small town by the sea. She now lives with her family in Nottingham and is a keen rock climber.
Karen won the Writing Magazine Picture Book Prize in 2018. Padmacandra grew up in Scotland, lives in Norfolk and graduated from the Cambridge School of art. She is a buddhist, poet and artist.
