If You Want to See a Whale

by Julie Fogliano, Erin E. Stead (Illustrator)

If you want to see a whale, you will need to know what not to look at.
Pink roses, pelicans, possible pirates . . .
If you want to see a whale, you have to keep your eyes on the sea, and wait . . .
and wait . . . and wait . . .
In this quiet and beautiful picture book by Julie Fogliano and Erin E. Stead, the team that created the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor book And Then It's Spring, a boy learns exactly what it takes to catch a glimpse of an elusive whale.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Poetry, Fiction, Storytime, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Julie Fogliano has spent her entire life reading children's books. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and three children.

Reviews

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so lovely in every way. The illustrations are outstanding- I loved to look for all the little details (like the boy's feet anxious on the stool, or where that little bird was hiding). The palette is so beautifully serene: the muted colors emphasize how peaceful the ocean (and nature) can be.

I didn't fall in love with the story the first time I read through. I thought it was cute, but didn't understand it. As an artist, writer, reader, and hobby-marine biologist though, I bought it for my far-future children anyway.

The prose really is lovely in every way. It's simple, yet vividly descriptive, and evokes the kind of imaginative curiosity we all hope children will have. The author is very poetic-- my hang up was that I didn't quite understand the message of the book.

After reading it at least four more times (I bought it last night), and loving it more with each read, I've decided that the author is in no way meaning to say that we shouldn't get distracted by the world around us. I think what she was going for rather, was the playful way of telling a child NOT to smile, and he or she WILL smile. By telling them NOT to notice all those beautiful things in the world, hopefully your child WILL notice all the beautiful things in the world, because they are so very beautiful and good.

I especially think the author was getting at the amount of patience required to work our way towards satisfying our curiosity about an interest or passion, while discovering new and equally wonderful things along the way. How boring would it be if two pages in, the boy saw the whale, and that's it, it's on to the next thing. After all, it's not just about the destination, it about the journey, isn't it?

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus Christ. I thought I'd seen my favorite couple of picture books for the year, and then here comes this one. SO bedtimey, SO not-bedtimey, all about observation and appreciation of the flawless little miracles that make up the natural world - clouds, bugs, birds, pirate ships... and roses.

if you want to see a whale
you'll have to just ignore the roses
and all their pink
and all their sweet
and all their wild and their waving
because roses don't want you watching whales
or waiting for
or wondering about
things that are not pink
and things that are not sweet
and things that are not roses

This is Gertrude Stein done one better. This is Yeats and the tyranny of beauty in simple language.

Also, Erin Stead is perfect.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another marvelous picture book from the team that created And Then It's Spring, this title is filled with repetitive lines "if you want to see a whale..." (unpaged) that have an almost meditative quality to them. Even while the story's two characters, a boy and his dog, wait patiently for a whale, there are many other objects to distract them. The advice to ignore everything else while they are waiting for that whale may be good advice, but they seem to be savoring the joys of the rest of the world while waiting for that whale to come. I love both the text and the illustrations, created with pencil and linoleum print techniques. The last two pages with the barnacle-encrusted whale swimming right under the boy's boat and then just the tip of the whale emerging are worth the wait and may make readers wonder if the whale was right there all along. Young readers will want to check out the animal-filled cloud shapes in the sky in one of the illustrations. Naturally, this is an excellent example of how good things come to those who wait.

[Ying Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely and peaceful book that portrays a boy and his dog waiting to see a whale. They look out the window, try to figure out what a whale might look like and not to fall asleep, ignore beautiful roses, other passing ships, sitting pelicans,small things, and drifting clouds, and WAIT. Wait till the big whale comes. I like this story as I read it first time, for its layers of meaning. Young children will enjoy the illustrations, especially the dog, clouds, and the whale. Older students may read this book and start to know what symbols mean in a story. That is, they can ponder what the whale means or represents when it goes beyond its literary meaning. How about roses, passing ships, pelicans, and small green things? This further exploration and discussion will give students a different look of this story.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A peaceful, serene picture book about a little boy who wants to see a whale, and who must resist lots of delightful distractions that try to turn him away from his goal. And yet the book is just as much about the distractions: the pink, sweet, wild and waving roses; the ship way out there with its red flag flapping; the pelican who may or may not be smiling; the small, green something that inches across a leaf; and the clouds floating by in the spread out sky. By waiting and watching and noticing we discover so many wonderful things, and then, when the time is right, we just might see a whale. Reviewed for www.GoodReadingGuide.com

[itselv:#&309;]

With a beautiful, minimalistic illustration style, this story encourages young readers to explore the world and satisfy their curiosity by being both passionate and patient, whilst cheekily warning them against ignoring the little details that make the journey worthwhile.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations, but the text did not strike me as especially moving. It had the appearance & attitude of a whimsical-and-yet-so-true work, but it didn't really strike me as true; the suggestions and observations bore no resemblance whatsoever to any whale-watching experience I have ever had in a lifetime of living on or near the coast, whether from a window, pier, or boat.

Okay, after a discussion today, I get that I am being too literal, and that reading this aloud to kids does work. Perhaps I was too judgmental to accept the suspension of reality, and perhaps I could re-read it as a metaphor or with more humor...

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming little picture book hit me in all the right places. It shares a theme of patience with Fogliano and Stead's last collaboration, And Then it was Spring, but I have to say I thought this one was better. Whales just might be my favorite animal and I cherished the thoughtful quiet feel of this story as the little boy tells the readers all the things not to do if you want to see a whale. The color palate is just perfect and I have to say I think I have found my pick for Caldecott 2014.

[Sophia T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Αρχικά να πω ότι χαίρομαι πάρα πολύ που βρέθηκε στα χέρια μου και η αλήθεια είναι ότι δεν βρίσκω πολλά λόγια για να περιγράψω αυτό το αριστούργημα .
Ένα υπέροχο ποίημα για μικρούς και μεγάλους, με φοβερή εικονογράφηση. Μια ιστορία που μιλάει για την υπομονή και την επιμονή που πρέπει να δίνουμε μέχρι να φτάσουμε στο επιθυμητό στόχο.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 4 out of 5]

عنوان ترجمهٔ فارسی: دوست داری یک نهنگ ببینی؟

نقاشی‌های ارین استید، امضا دارند. هرکس یک کتاب با تصویرگری او خوانده باشد، در کتاب‌های دیگر آدم‌های ظریف و رنگ‌های ملیح سبک او را به جا می‌آورد.
دوست داری یک نهنگ ببینی؟ (کدام بچه‌ای هست که دوست نداشته باشد؟)
چیزهای زیادی هست که ممکن است حواسَت را پرت کند و باعث شود دیدار نهنگ را از دست بدهی!
پس باید حواست شش‌دانگ به دریا باشد و...
منتظر بمانی! (کدام بچه‌ای هست که با انتظار میانهٔ خوبی داشته باشد؟)
کتاب تصویری یعنی همین. که در هر صفحه لااقل یک عنصر در تصویر هست که روایت را کامل می‌کند.

من فکر می‌کنم بچه‌ها به تمرکز و شکیبایی احتیاج دارند. شاید در این روزگار بیشتر از هر زمان دیگری.
دو تا چیزی که اگر می‌خواهی یک نهنگ ببینی باید حتماً داشته باشی یا به دست بیاوری!🐳😊

[Linda Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

From page to page, Ms. Fogliano takes us on a quiet journey looking for a whale. You know those huge sea creatures that should be easy to spot? But, oh, so much can get in the way. A young boy, in a large ocean, looking for an elusive whale.... It all begins with a desire. What is needed to find a whale? What is not needed to find a whale? What are the distractions that keep one from finding this large gray creature? And what was it that was being looked for anyway? Patience and focus are two of life's lessons engraved on these pages. Culmination comes in a calming and happy ending to this wonderful adventure.

Ms. Stead's fine illustrations using linoleum printing techniques and her penciled details are as soothing as calm seas, undulating with the words of the whale search. Each page gives the reader plenty to look at, leading the eyes from the yellow boat, the red-headed boy, his two animal friends, and out across the open sea.

This is a book to be read cuddling with a child or two, pondering the few words and detailed drawings. Then, when the little ones have gone to bed, the adult reader can read it again.

Reading Level: 2 - 6 Years

Author: This is Julie Fogliano's second book. The first was the New York Times bestseller And Then It's Spring, which received five starred reviews. She is married with three children living in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Julie Fogliano and Erin E. Stead (Illustrator) first met while working together in a New York City bookstore. They collaborated on And Then It's Spring which was a New York Times bestseller. Erin is married to Philip Stead, author and illustrator, living in a 100-year-old barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The two created A Sick Day for Amos McGee, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

Book Information:
ISBN-13: 9781596437319
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press
Publication date: 5/7/2013
Pages: 32
Product dimensions: 7.10 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 0.40 (d)

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The incredible partnership that brought you And Then It’s Spring last year has recreated a similar magic in their second book together. In this book, a young boy heads to the sea to try to spot a whale. There are things that you must have to see a whale, one is time to wait and another is a way to not get too comfortable and doze off while waiting. There are also things that you must ignore, like sweet pink roses that want you to look at them or boats that are floating by or insects crawling in the grass. Just keep your eyes on the sea and wait. And then…

Fogliano’s writing is poetry. She lets us wander into distractions, taking our own eyes off the sea to explore the grass, the roses and the clouds in the sky. Her pacing is delicious, making us wait for the payoff in the end in a way that doesn’t promise anything other than the wait and the sea itself. It is that wait and that meander that makes this book so wonderful. In other words, she makes the book about the journey, about being in the moment, about noticing.

Stead’s illustrations are done in her signature style with fine lines and organic colors that seem to come from childhood crayons. Adding the friendly dog into the story works well, he serves as another pair of eyes both watching for the whale and being distracted.

Lovely, simple and filled with charm, this picture book is thoughtful, quiet and worth the wait. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Aeicha]

Julie Fogliano's If You Want To See A Whale is a sweet and lovely story about patience and noticing the beautiful world around us. Fogliano's unnamed male character and his trusty dog sidekick set out to see a whale and end up seeing more than they ever expected.

Fogliano writes in simple, yet enchanting verses that paint vivid pictures full of imagination. Little readers will be so enraptured by the things that the young boy and is dog do see that they won't even mind waiting until the very end to see the mysterious whale.

Erin Stead's bright, colorful pictures are the perfect companion to Fogliano's words and really shine! The illustrations are simple but are so expressive and charming. Readers will love exploring the different captivating pictures of nature scenes.

If You Want To See A Whale is the perfect bedtime read for the little ocean lovers in your life!

[Washington Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word “see” is the key to this minimalist tale whose poetic text seems, on the surface at least, to be simultaneously elusive and precise: “If you want to see a whale/ you will need a window/ and an ocean/ and time for waiting/ and time for looking/ and time for wondering ‘is that a whale?’ ” To find a picture book that attempts to explore the patient, persistent and solitary pursuit at the heart of creativity is unusual; to find one that succeeds in making such an abstract process comprehensible to children is extraordinary. Read the review: http://wapo.st/12WN9MC

[Deborah]

Oh my, just when I thought that certainly I own *enough* books illustrated by Erin Stead... THIS. Julie Fogliano just may be the second coming of Ruth Krauss, with this text. Both words and pictures are wonderfully poetic, balanced just perfectly, and both leave just the right amount of space for the reader's own imagination to blossom, like "the roses/and all their pink/and all their sweet/and all their wild and their waving..."

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to see a whale by Julie Fogliano, pictures by Erin E. Stead – Wonderful pacing and imaginative and at the same time the book helps you think about how to focus in on what you really want to do, to accomplish.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful lyrical book about a boy waiting to see a whale. It lists all the things you shouldn't do, like nap and watch other things and look at the clouds in the sky because then you might miss the whale. It has a dog in it the whole time, so it's a winner.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems to be kind of a tongue in cheek way to say "don't miss everything else around you while watching for something 'better'", but since they see what they're looking for in the end, not sure that's what it was going for either. But it's ambiguous enough to let the child decide for themselves.

[Giselle]

I really loved the illustrations.

[carlotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

in blocco, quindi andiamo di albi illustrati 💕

[Regine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely tone that catches the feel of a child wondering about the world. Perfectly paired with illustrations that convey the sense of gentle expectancy when there is so much yet to discover.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

clever and pretty!

[Pascoal Martorelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aqui marca minha estreia no circuito de livros infantis.

[Leticia Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

mais um daqueles livros infantis que foram feitos pra adultos e nos deixam reflexivos. lembrei da jout jout em "a parte que falta". senti um quentinho no coração.
"porque olhos com sono não enxergam baleias, e baleias não esperam para serem encontradas"

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I love this so much, but it is honestly just so beautiful and tranquil. It has such an old fashioned quality to it.

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely picturebook is appropriate for the Nursery/Primary audiences. It tells the quiet story of a boy and his dog waiting to catch a glimpse of a whale. There is little action, just waiting and watching, but in the meantime, the boy and his dog see lots of other magical and wonderful things, like bugs on grass, and a pelican, and roses, and quiet, lovely things like that. The language is poetic and sweet, at times spare, always beautiful, like this my favorite line: "because sleeping eyes can't watch for whales and whales won't wait for watching." The rhythm and alliteration are pleasant to the ear and sound as still as the story itself. The illustrations are simple and delicate. The tiny details, like the boy's pencil-rendered facial expressions, the tiny bird you find on every page, how the dog's movements echo the boy's in a sublime unspoken partnership, are so dear. I love that it is a book about patience, going slowly, moving quietly through nature, really seeing the world around you. These are such important values that are missing in so many children's lives. How often as a parent do I say to my kids, "Hurry up, we've got to get a move on, let's go!" And the same message is blurting from television sets and highways and supermarkets; everything is rushrushrush busybusybusy. And here in the midst of all of that is a quiet story of waiting for something magnificent and being watchful and patient in the waiting. No dialogue, no conversation, just observing and experiencing the natural environment. The format of the text, typed in a simple font in all lower-case letters, plus the spare but sweet drawings which leave lots of empty white space, contribute to a very peaceful mood. This book is a breath of air and a whisper of delight. Small children, I think, would respond best to this book, in a quiet moment like bedtime or cool-down time. It is not a book you want to use or overthink; instead this picturebook is one you want to absorb by sipping slowly and perhaps by opening wider your eyes to see this beautiful world more clearly.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems to me that the text of If You Want to See a Whale does several things extremely well, and a few things maybe not as well. The sound of the book when read aloud is fantastic -- Julie Fogliano has a keen ear for alliteration and assonance, and lines such as the ones in which she describes clouds "in the sky that's spread out, side to side" are a joy just to say. The ending of the book in the text is also beautifully ambiguous, fading out on the lines "and wait... / and wait... / and wait..." The last of illustrator Erin E. Stead's pictures shows the whale quest coming to a successful end, but it does so wordlessly -- although she's given us a tidy ending, Fogliano as author has declined to do so.

The main thing that bothered me -- and maybe it's just from sitting through too many Creative Writing workshops back in college -- was the book's unwillingness to fully commit to its central conceit. I know that the book isn't really about whale-watching at all, but a metaphor is best when it works on both the literal and figurative levels. A window isn't helpful for watching for whales (or at least, nowhere near as helpful as being outside), and if you're on a beach or in a boat, roses and bugs aren't likely distractions.

This doesn't mean that If You Want to See a Whale isn't a delight, but I do think it means that it's not destined to be a classic.


A longer version of this review appears at abouttomock.blogspot.com

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was on my Mock Newbery club shortlist for the 2014 Newbery award. The big day for this years Newbery is January 27 and I've been thoroughly enjoying the best of children's literature published in 2013. This book is a lovely poem with charming illustrations. For what it is, it is perfect. I still lean toward a different type of book for the award However, officially the Newbery award is for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". This book is short and simple, but beautifully well done and yes, it's distinguished. It will be interesting to see what happens this year. My votes were for #1 - Far, Far Away #2 - Counting By Sevens and #3 - Doll Bones, though after some thought I'd now put The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp at either 2 or 3 and take Doll Bones off the list. I loved them all though and it is hard to choose!

[Alyssa Gergins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful and simple picture book made me grin from ear to ear. The first thing that impressed me was the outlining and details made with the pencil. I loved the white backgrounds with the soft color of the ocean and a pop of color throughout each page. It made something new come out every time I turned the page. The writing was simple and easy to follow going perfectly along with each picture. It was almost as though Fogliano mentioned all the things not to look at so that the reader would look at those things. So that in the real world, they would not ignore all of the lovely things around them. Even when we are searching for that one thing or have that one goal, we need to make sure that we don't lose sight of everything else the world has to offer around us.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, this will be one I will have to purchase. Hard to tell what I like best about this book; the stellar illustrations (I think the first one, with the little boy sitting on the stool curling his toes is probably my favorite) or the very fun-to-read text ('If you want to see a whale be careful not to notice something inching, small and green across the leaf, just nibble scoot because things that are smaller than most small things can't be as giant as a whale") - I think I want to add 'nibble scoot' to my daily use vocabulary. All around excellent book!