Whale Gets Stuck!

by Karen Hayles, Charles Fuge (Illustrator)

Whale loves diving in and out of the ocean waves until . . . SLAP! He lands on an ice floe and can't get off again. Poor Whale is stuck! His friends try to push him back into the water but Whale is much too heavy. It looks like Whale might be stuck forever. But then something surprising happens . . .

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Friendship, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Maria Martins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was a really lovely tale of friendship, perseverance and helping others out. It would be a great book to look at during the introduction of melting and freezing/ materials in science.

[Jennifer McCallum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot of very good classroom links. It could be used to teach about animal adaptations, climate change, problem solving, or even forces.
However, it also makes for a lovely story about friends helping each other out with very detailed, colourful pictures to match.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice story about the importance of friendship, teamwork and helping each other after the whale got stuck on the ice. It could relate to habitats and adaptation, the only thing I thought was whilst it mentions melting ice caps, it's the melting of the ice which frees the whale which is portrayed positively. It could be used with young children as it is a fun story about the melting ice, I just think it's slightly contradictory when melting ice caps is a huge issue in the climate crisis. Nevertheless, it's an entertaining read.

[Ariane Skaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cheerful story of friendship through difficulty, Arctic friends band together to help their much larger companion Whale, escape from atop an ice flow. Word choice is enriching, and Hayles spared no synonym, encouraging higher-thinking from the reader while enjoying the thrill of testing various hypotheses for freeing Whale! Fuge's beautiful watercolor and ink illustrations bring the story, and the characters' emotions, to life.

[Zoe Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book has lots of potential within the classroom as it talks about the melting of the ice which could relate to geography and climate change. The book could also relate to forces within science - which forces are the animals trying to use to save whale? The animals all work together to try and solve a problem so there could be a discussion about working in a team and the role which walrus takes on as a team leader.

[Sophie Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations and use of colour are beautiful throughout the book. Following a simple, yet meaningful story of friendship and the power of working together.

An easy, fun read that holds great messages for friendship, teamwork and a basic introduction to habitats and animals.

[Jarula (Χαρούλα) Souroulla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Είναι ένα βιβλίο που μπορείς να χρησιμοποιήσεις για να μιλήσεις στα παιδιά για τα πλάσματα της θάλασσας, για την αξία της φιλίας, για την ενσυναίσθηση και για τη συνεργασία. Ωραία η εικονογράφηση. Δεν άγγιξε τη ψυχή μου το κείμενο.

[Nicolette Children'S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Bridie Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations of friendship and an excellent starting point for year 2 science lessons on habitats!

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to discuss team work and problem solving. Poor whale!

[Laura]

When poor whale jumps too high and lands on an iceberg its all up to the other animals to try and find a way to rescue him! Beautiful illustrations, charming characters, and a delightful story.

[Lauren Drake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be great to use to teach children about the importance of friendship, team work and problem solving.

[Bonnie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hayles, K. (Author) & Fuge, C. (Illustrator). (1992). Whale gets stuck. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster books for young readers. Unp. Ages 3 and up.

When joyful Whale gets so excited that he finds himself stuck on an ice float, his arctic animal friends work together to get him out of a sticky situation. This playful story with fun illustrations is a great introduction to sea animals of the arctic for young students.

Related Activity: Choose a sea animal to draw (kindergarten), or research and share (1st/2nd) with the class.

[Randomfish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a favourite in our household for several years and three kids! They all enjoy the trials of poor whale, and like to join in with his friend Fish's warning at the end. It's a cute story, and they really like the plans to rescue whale - both Walrus and Narwhal are the favourites. :)

[Elena Traduzioni Oceano Mare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loooooooove the drawings of the whale. From all the different angles. They're great!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

the well drawn, friendly creatures in this book are, after all their hard work, saved by a bit of good luck ~ which was a bit scary but also refreshingly realistic.