Maybe A Whale by Kirsten Pendreigh, illustrated by Crystal Smith
CBC | Posted: September 19, 2023 4:34 PM | Last Updated: October 13, 2023
A kayak adventure to remember grandfather
After Grandpa dies, a girl and her mother take the trip he had planned for her, kayaking along the Pacific west coast to look for the whales that he loved.
The trip will do them good, Mom says, but the girl isn't sure. How can that be true when Grandpa isn't there? And how will they find a whale in all that water, anyway?
There is so much to see as they paddle through white-tipped waves and calm coves: glowing moon jellies, fluttering anemones and slippery seals. All the while, the girl watches for whales. Could one be swimming beneath their kayak or along the shore of their camp? Are the whales even there?
Finally, in the dark of night, they hear them — pushhhhhhhh, pushhhhhhh — humpbacks breathing in the bay.
In this lyrical story, luminously illustrated by Crystal Smith, mom and daughter find the space to grieve Grandpa and reconnect with each other in the wild beauty of nature. And they come to realize that — perhaps like whales — those we've loved are always with us, even if we don't see them anymore.
(From Groundwood Books)
Maybe a Whale is for ages 3 to 6.
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Kirsten Pendreigh is a Vancouver-based children's writer, journalist and poet. She is also the author of Luna's Green Pet and When a Tree Falls. Her poetry has been published in publications such as This Magazine and Room Magazine.
Crystal Smith is a Victoria-based illustrator with an interest in depicting the natural world. Her second children's book that she is currently illustrating, will be published in Fall 2024.