The Stranded Whale

by Jane Yolen, Melanie Cataldo (Illustrator)

Tender and heartrending, Jane Yolen’s clear-eyed tale of a child’s effort to rescue a beached whale evokes a fierce love of wildlife and a universal sense of loss.

Sally and her brothers are walking home from school along the dunes in their Maine town when they come upon an enormous whale. He’s stranded on the beach. Her brother runs for help, and many people rally to respond, but the tide is going out quickly and the whale is just so big. Still, Sally is able to sit near the whale’s massive eye and tell him he’s beautiful and strong, and that she will miss him no matter what happens. Master storyteller Jane Yolen and illustrator Melanie Cataldo have created an authentic portrait of vulnerability that is at once spare, moving, and honest.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Death, Fiction, Environment, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2015

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Max Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stranded whale
By Jane Yolen

In the stranded whale, I think the main character Sally learned the best doesn't always happen. Sally shows this when she couldn't save the whale, when people came and had a party instead of helping and most of all when the whale died. What would you think if you found a whale stranded on the beach?

First off Sally learned the best doesn't always happen when she couldn't save the whale. The coast guard came and poured buckets, pots, and pans of water on the whale sally saw, “none of it was enough.” Jane Yolen Used description to show how none of the work they were doing was enough “The whale shut its great eyes'' Sally couldn't save the whale and the whale died. Jane Yolen shows revealing actions when the whale died and shut its eye.

Secondly, she learned the best doesn't always happen when people came and had a party instead of helping. “They came to help or so they,” said Sally noticed they weren’t helping save the whale In this quote the author used revealing actions because the people who came were not helping. “Everyone came and ate like it was a party. They ate sandwiches and drank pop. In this quote, Jane Yolen used building a mood because she wanted the reader to think why aren't they helping. sally was mad that it seemed like no one was helping

And most of all Sally learned the best doesn't always happen when the whale died. “The whale shut its great eyes'' in this quote the author used building a mood to show how the characters were sad that the whale died Sally knew when the whale shut its eyes it was over, Sally was sad. “She would give up her medal to see Leviathan again '' Jane yolen used symbolism to show how the medal reminded Sally of the whale. The coast guard gave Sally a medal for her efforts sall would give the medal to see the whale again.

As you can see, Sally learned the best doesn't always happen when sally went through the process of trying to save the whale Sally also went through a big change across the story she also learned the best doesn't always happen most of all when the whale died Sally was very sad but she learned a big lesson you should also know the best doesn't always happen.



Book, the Stranded Whale, by Jane Yolen.
Essay by Max Ott.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quality picture book that deals with loss and inevitable tragedy in a gentle, sometimes understated way that remains true to life. The soft, muted, drab colors make the beautiful illustrations convey a deep sense of sadness, and the writing expresses with just the right words how miserably helpless and dejected a little girl feels after finding a stranded whale, caring for it, and then watching it die. It is a very good book from a quality standpoint, but not one I would share with any sensitive child. There is no happy ending or sunny redemption of the sadness, and there does not have to be, because real life is often not like that; however, this could be incredibly depressing and upsetting to the types of children prone to empathize deeply and brood over things. I was one of them, and even though I enjoyed reading this beautiful picture book today, I am very glad it did not exist to traumatize me in childhood.

[Christiane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me cry and I didn’t like it. I understand that not all children’s picture books have to be happy and cheery. But I also think that little kids benefit from books that are ultimately hopeful. As adults we may well understand that beached whales usually die and, while it’s sad, it doesn’t affect whale species as a whole (from the author’s note). But do you really want to explain that to your crying four-year-old?

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story of three kids who try to save a beached whale. Lots of information on the life cycle of whales.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Jane Yolen's Owl Moon has ever meant anything to you, The Stranded Whale will probably capture you too.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert- the whole review is a spoiler...


The whale dies. This is not a happy ending story. The kids in the story try to help and their efforts are totally futile and the whale dies. I'm a big baby, so I choked up reading this one and skipped a couple lines.. It doesn't have the best flow, but, the illustrations are great. I'm not sure what one would use this book for. Maybe if you are trying to teach a kid about trying and failing? Maybe as a way to discuss death or loss? Perhaps it would pair nicely with some nonfiction about whales and why whales breach?

It's well done overall, but, has a limited audience because of the subject matter.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too much text to read aloud, and maybe too sad for some whale lovers, but a beautifully told story of an attempted whale rescue.

[Brooke Agee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our 5th grade classroom in Davis, CA, wrote literary essays. Here's what some students had to say about "The Stranded Whale."

*****

There is not always a happy ending.
By: Aria

Have you ever watched or read something without a happy ending? Well I think maybe everyone has. In my opinion stories like that show how things can go wrong and that life isn't always perfect. This can be shown in the text ‘The stranded whale” -by `Jane Yolen. I think this text shows things that can happen in your life and others.

I think that ‘The stranded whale'' -by Jane Yolen teaches us that there is not always a happy ending/the ending you want. This is shown when Sally,the protagonist, tries so hard to keep Leviathan alive but then he dies and then she was very sad. I feel this is an important part because it shows how she did not like the ending she got and that she was really not satisfied. Also in the texts she cried and if you're crying about someone dying I don't think it's a happy cry (normally) .

I think that ‘The stranded whale''-by Jane Yolen teaches us that there is not always a happy ending/the ending you want. This is shown when Sally says “I’d give that old medal back in a Portland instant just to see old Leviathan alive again , …” from this text you already know that she did not like the ending she got and she was definitely unsatisfied. To prove this statement I interviewed my classmate / BFF Mabel Davis and she said “ It really seemed like she didn't get the ending she got. Also I thought it showed how she did not want to be qualified as a “hero”.” .

I think that ‘The stranded whale''-by Jane Yolen teaches us that there is not always a happy ending/the ending you want .You can especially see this in the author's craft I feel like the author's craft is setting a mood especially at the end because it's really sad and gloomy . This is shown when sallys brother cries to their dad about what happened to the whale but not Sally. She was too mad to cry. This shows how they hated what happened to Leviathan and how sad and gloomy everything was . Also it showed that they were sad and that they were not happy with the ending they got.

In conclusion, that is why I believe that the text ' ‘The stranded whale''-by Jane Yolen shows that there is not always a happy ending. If you still don't believe me, think about your own life and books you read ,take “A Series Of Unfortunate Events” . It doesn't have a happy ending And there are many things without a happy ending. And if you don't believe my reasoning’s than that's not a happy ending for my essay now is it?

*****
The stranded whale Literary essay draft
By: Finn

This is how I saw The Stranded Whale,so don’t go off of this,
read The Stranded Whale first,then read this (-;

I think the text teaches us that the life lesson is that there is not always a happy ending.

The main character sounds sad when she said”So, the whale died and were heroes.
Yet somehow I was still mad.
I put my medal in the drawer and never took it out again”This shows that the main character is sad.

A life lessen I have learned and you should have too is
that there is not always a happy
ending,and that stories
arn’t always happy and fun.
Sometimes death in a story,now remember it’s only a story…

*****

Try
By:RENAN

In life you can try but you have to know that it might not work. You might come across challenges such as a puzzle, rock climbing or maybe a hard book. In the text the Stranded Whale by Jane Yolen Sally learns this by trying to give the whale help.

Sally teaches us that you can[and should] always try but you have to know that it might not work. In the beginning Sally sees the whale and runs to the water and tells us”I wrung the sweater out on the whale's side.” but this does not help to keep the whale alive.

In the middle/end Sally teaches us that you can [and should] always try but you have to know it might not always work. In the middle Sally tells us “ Then the men rocked the whale back and forth toward the outgoing tide. Martin and Josh tried to help.Eve shook her head and said to me,”That's Leviathan, the great whale in the Bible.They won’t be moving it very far.” This shows that Sally and her brothers and the coast guard could not move the whale.

So in conclusion Sally shows that you can [and should] always try but you have to know that it might not always work.

*****

The Stranded Whale
By:Max

In life there isn’t always a happy ending. In the text The Stranded Whale by Jane Yolen this is shown when the whale dies at the end. There is nothing they can do to save it. This is proof of no happy ending. This lesson is true, there isn’t always one.

This text shows us that there isn’t always a happy ending at the beginning of the text too. Sally is heading home from school and her brothers are teasing her. Then she sees an object on the beach. It is a … GIANT WALE! She is very shocked. Sally, the protagonist,thinks: “With the outgoing tide the whale can’t get back to the ocean by itself.” This is the first problem.

She then runs to save it. She really cares about it. The text shows this when she calls the police and takes care of it until the coast guard arrives. Because of this act, when the coast guard arrives the whale is still breathing. But in the end it is not enough to save it. She thinks: "At last, though, just as the sun was setting, the whale shut its great eye.” Soon the whale died. This shows that there isn’t always a happy ending.

The text shows that there isn’t a happy ending when the whale breathes its last breath and dies. The author, Jane Yolen makes this part very dramatic and intense. She really builds a mood of sadness at this part in the story. Sally recalls: “It gave out a huge sigh, like wind off the ocean. The sigh smelled like seaweed, like lobsters in Dad’s traps, like gutted fish on the pier. And then it was gone, just like that.” The whale is dead. They all get medals for helping the whale. But Sally isn’t satisfied. She thinks: “I would have given that medal back in a Portland instant just to see old Leviathan alive again.” But he is dead for good so she can’t. This shows that there isn’t always a happy ending.

In conclusion, there isn’t always a happy ending. This is shown in this text. The whale dies, they can’t save it, and Sally is super sad afterward. But this is a part of life. Things do die. There isn’t always a happy ending in life.

*****

Always respect wildlife
By: Avaneesh

Have you ever read the text “The Stranded Whale”? Even if you haven't, you can still learn life lessons the author hid in the text from this writing I have made.
Three reasons, supporting one big claim, and then finishing with a conclusion.

The first time the text shows to respect wildlife is when Sally and her brothers help the whale. For example, she realizes how important it is to save the whale, as it is beached and can’t get back to the sea on its own. She says to her brothers, “Look!” This gets their attention and they keep the whale from drying out and dying for the time being. This proves that if you notice something which is off, or wrong, it is your duty to step up and help.

The second time the text shows to respect wildlife is when the wildlife rescue and other people come to help the beached whale. This is great, because the whale is as stuck as a burglar in a SWAT base! The sand was very compact so the whale was trapped.This shows to always help out if you see an animal in need.

The third time the text shows to respect wildlife is when Sally honors the whale’s memory by never looking at the medal a man brought her. After the whale dies, Sally is so overcome with grief that the next day, when a man from wildlife rescue comes to give her and her brothers medals, she puts it in a drawer and never takes it out again. She is respecting the whale by not acting like a hero and bragging about helping him. She knows there is absolutely nothing to be happy about. The whale died, despite her and other’s efforts. This proves that even if your efforts go to waste, always acknowledge that you tried your best and there would have been nothing else to do.

To conclude, the text “The Stranded Whale” teaches us to always respect wildlife no matter what. It shows us this in the beginning, the middle and the very end. This text makes me think that all animals have a right to live on this planet and they have a right to live freely. So next time I see a bug, I will not kill it, I will move it.

*****

The stranded Whale
By: kira

in life things do not always go the way you want them to for example
You could lose a championship bastetball game

the text show that you don't always get want you want it shows this in the beginning when they find the whale
In the begenin they find the whale
on the beach and they want it to live and they try to save and they don not want the whale to be on the beach this show that you don't always get that you want (:l

the text show that you don't always get want you want it shows this in the end when the whale dies da da daaa
In the end the whale dies and the try to save it and they try to get
it to the beach and they get they jackets wet so that eans the they really want the whale to live but it dies in the end this shows that the you don't always get that you want (:l

This shows that you don't always get that you want (:l

*****

The stranded whale
By: Quinn

There are times in life when you lose something and you don’t just forget it but in those moments you can't give up hope even if it’s hard. This happens in the short story”The stranded whale” by Jane Yolen at the end but in the beginning and in the middle too. The story the” The stranded whale” is about three siblings who find a beached whale and try to save its life.

The stranded whale is teaching us to never give up hope even when things are tough. The story shows this in the beginning when Martin, Josh and Sally are walking home from school because all the buses have gone already and Sally sees something on the beach. At first she thinks it’s a rock but no. It’s actually a beached whale!” I ran to the whale. It stank of fear and deep water. I wrung the sweater out on the whale's side, then placed the wet bulk under its eye.” Sally is telling us. Then after that they keep trying to save the whale but it just isn’t working. I think this sets up the theme that the story’s going to be sad.

I think the second part of “The stranded whale” is showing this theme because they called the coast guard to help save the whale but all they were doing was trying to push the whale back into the ocean. When that didn’t really work a few people went to get buckets of water but they got food and drinks also. There were a lot of people that came but they only came for the food and drinks. It just didn’t feel right though.” Everyone ate and drank like it was a party,” Sally says. It didn't feel right because Sally and her siblings really wanted to save that whale and they felt really attached to it.

I think that the claim relates to the end of the story because the whale had died and they were all feeling really sad but Sally was feeling the most sad. One of the coast guards came to their door and gave them all a medal. He told them” You never covered the blowhole” but he said it like it was praise. Then Sally goes on to tell us how nobody ever told her to cover her grandpa’s nose and she feels really sad and like she didn’t work hard enough to save the whale. After that she puts the medal in her drawer and never looks at it ever again.

So in conclusion the short story "The stranded whale” is teaching us the theme to never give up hope even when things are hard. I think this is the theme because the story is showing us how Sally,Martin and Josh never give up hope even if it’s hard because they try and save the whale and they try and they try but in the end it still dies. I think the thing I’m going to take away from this whole story is to hold onto the things we have and never ever give up hope.

[Atul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stranded whale
By: Atul
The story, The Stranded Whale, by Jane Yolen teaches us to always be caring. Being caring matters in life to many people. For example, it matters to Sally, from The Stranded whale. This story about a girl and her brothers helping a whale teached me to always be caring. In this story the most caring people are Sally and her brothers dad, the Camper Van People, and of course, the main character Sally.

I believe that this is true for dad because in the text it shows,“ papa could have whupped us for staying out that late.” When the author put in the word “could” in the piece of text it shows that the could have whipped but he didn’t because he knows why they came so late, and he knows that coming late was for a good cause. I can also prove this form the text because it says there, “But he didn’t, just put his arms around us saying, “its alright kids it's alright.” This shows that Sally, and her brothers dad is caring.

I think that the Camper People are caring because they provided help to the whale and the kids even though the weren’t part of the coast guard or and special force. They just wanted to help. Another part where it shows that the Camper Van People are caring is when they lend the pots and pans from the camper back to help pour water on the whale. It shows this on the text here, “ The grown-ups hauled more water in big steel buckets from the coast guard truck, and pots and pans from the camper van. The text also shows another time when camper van people were caring. This was when they headed into town and bought sandwiches and pop for everyone there to eat. It shows this in the text here, “ Eve drove the camper into town and came back with sandwiches and soda pop.” These two pieces of text shows that the camper van people are really caring.

I strongly believe that Sally is very caring because she is the one who pressures herself to help things like the whale and other people. One place where it shows this is when she says that she is mad at the ocean, mad at our arms and other things. It shows this in the text when it says, “ I was too mad to cry. Mad at the unforgiving ocean, rushing away from the shore. Mad at our short arms and the whales long body. Mad that we didn’t have a boat, a winch, long ropes to pull it into the sea. Mad at everything.” This piece of the text shows that Sally pressures herself to help others. This can be sometimes a bad trait because it can lead to stress to help others and some diseases are triggered by stress. It also shows that she is caring because she is compassionate. One time where it shows that sally is compassionate is when she says, ” I’d have given that old medal back in a Portland instant just to see old leviathan alive again, swimming joyously back to the sea, sprouting through its blowhole, tail slapping against the water, black eyes shining. I’d give that medal back for good if I could see it one time heading out to deep water lifting it tail, and diving deep, and free.” This shows that, what I believe, is the most caring character in the story , Sally, The Stranded Whale by Jane Yolen.

As you can probably see, it's a good trait to be caring. It will be able to earn you a good title and many other things. Sally and the other people are really caring because they are able to offer help at any time. For instance, everyone there came even though it was turning dark. What I believe the most caring people in the book is sally, the father who comforts, and the caper van people offering help even though they aren't part of a special force or part of the coast guard. All this evidence proves that Sally, her Dad, and the Camper Van People are all caring.

[Lekha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lekha #17
1/30/2018
“The Stranded Whale” By Jane Yolen

In literature, authors sometimes give specific character traits to a character that matches with the problem or obstacle. Some characters are fools, some are smart. In other words, based on the obstacle the characters are facing, they have certain traits to fix that problem or do something with it. In the story “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen, a girl named Sally comes across a whale that’s stranded, and it couldn’t go back into the ocean because of the tide. The author gives Sally the unique trait of compassion so she can deal with whale...in a different way with her characteristics. In “The Stranded Whale”, It is evident that Sally is a compassionate and loving girl, because when the whale was hurt, Sally wanted to help it. She also tries to comfort the whale and sense it’s feelings, and most importantly, she showed compassion toward the whale by dealing with the loss of the whale and feeling sorrow toward the whale when it died.
In the “Stranded Whale”, Sally shows compassion by wanting to help the whale when it washed ashore. As I read, I saw some actions and scenes that prove this. For instance, when Sally sees the whale in the beginning. She cries out, “Look!” She brings her attention to the whale in the first place. She could’ve walked away, and left the whale to coast guard or animal rescue. But she didn’t, and the fact that she brought her attention to the whale shows that she is compassionate. When Sally saw the whale, stranded, Sally was determined to help it. In the text, it says, “Running, slipping, down the dune, I stripped off my shoes,book bag, sweater...As I ran toward the ocean, it must have looked like I was chasing the water.” Through her actions, I can conclude that Sally wanted to help the whale as soon as she saw it. Following that text, there is another piece of text that puts Sally as a compassionate person. “ I plunged the sweater in till it was completely soaked….I ran to the whale.” a normal person with no goals to achieve might’ve walked and just dipped the sweater in. But not Sally. She had something to achieve. She ran and plunged the sweater in, and I can infer she did that because she wanted a lot of water to help the whale. Even if it might’ve not helped, Sally and her brothers kept wringing out sweaters. This shows that Sally is a very compassionate person because she wants to help the whale when it was hurt.

Sally is a very compassionate person because she tries to comfort the whale, and she notices things because of her bond. For example, towards the end, when everyone had lost all hope of saving the whale, Sally displays bravery by going back to talk to the whale. In this part, Sally “ Went back to talk to the whale, into the eye like it was an ear, telling the whale how it was beautiful and strong, how we would miss it, whatever happened next.” Sally goes back to comfort the whale because she cares about it. I don’t think the whale heard her, but through her bond, her compassion for the whale, she believes that the whale can hear her. She shows her compassion toward the whale this way. The whale had emotions, and Sally sensed them. An example of this is when Sally first wrings out her sweater on the whale, Sally could “smell” the whale’s fear and deep water. She knew the whale was scared. She could understand it’s emotions. She also feels that the whale sees her, almost recognizes her and has it’s attention on her. In few parts of the story, Sally thinks the whale can hear her and sees her all the time. Her bond is so strong, she feels these things. For example, in the beginning, Sally thinks the whale was weeping, and it needed help. It is evident that Sally is compassionate because she tries to comfort the whale, and has a special bond with the whale, that she can sense the whale’s feelings.
I think Sally is a compassionate person because she deal with the loss of the whale in a compassionate way and she was feeling sorrow for herself as well as the whale. Sally has strong feelings toward the whale and she wishes it was back again. Sally notices everything about the whale before it dies. She smells the whale’s huge sigh and thinks it smells like seaweed. She sees it’s big eye shutting close. She uses comparisons, to show how the whale was like. She says “The sigh smelled like seaweed, like lobsters in Dad’s traps, like gutted fish on the pier.” In the following sentence, Sally mentions that the whale felt smaller now that it was gone, and it was so big when it was alive. I think it felt smaller because Sally is sad that it was gone, and she couldn’t save it. As I read, Sally becomes more and more mad at herself, and not being able to try, towards the end. She feels sad, so she holds her brother Josh’s hand. Sally’s parents are also very loving. They don’t get mad at the children, but they were scared and concerned about them. One sentence really stands out, though. The Coast Guard man came by, and he gave medals to all 3 kids for trying to save the whale. He says “You never covered the blowhole,” and Sally thinks why she would ever do that. This makes her think back to the time her grandpa died, and she also thinks she never would’ve covered her grandpa’s “blowhole” or nose, so that makes her remember these things. Then, Sally thinks she doesn’t deserve to be awarded, because she let the whale die. She feels bad that she couldn’t try her best. Sally puts the medal in her drawer and never takes it out again. A paragraph that clearly shows that Sally is compassionate and loving, was the last one. In this paragraph, Sally says she would give the medal back immediately just “to see old Leviathan alive again,swimming joyously out to sea…” Sally wishes the whale was back, happy as ever. She feels sad for the whale, and she was feeling blue herself. She says “I’d give that medal back for good if I could see it [the whale] one more time heading out to deep water, lifting its tail, and diving deep, and free.” Even if she would see it only one more time, Sally would give the medal back. I can infer she would do that because it would make her very happy to see the whale happy and free. I can sort of associate with these feelings, too. This isn’t the first time i’ve read or seen someone be compassionate, especially toward animals. A few years ago, when I was around 5, and we had a potluck in our apartment. I had a friend and he really cared about creatures, no matter their size. So when a cockroach was killed, he started crying because it was dead. He wanted it back very badly, like Sally. I myself feel bad every time a ladybug, or a butterfly, or another creature get squashed and killed. Like Sally, I care about living things. Sally is a very compassionate girl, and I can tell that because she dealt with the loss of the whale, and she felt sad and sorrow, and wanted the whale back just to see it be free.
As you can see, the main character in the story “The Stranded Whale” ,Sally, is a very compassionate girl. The author gives her the quality of being able to be compassionate to other things and beings, so that when she comes across her problem, or something she decides to deal with, which is the whale, Sally’s compassionate trait takes over and drives the story, and basically, carves it. I realized that being compassionate is very important and it is very useful everyday, because you never know when having a bit of compassion as well as other feelings and moods will help you in life.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stranded Whale Literary Essay

In the story, or while you’re reading the story The Stranded Whale, don’t you wonder about the character traits of the character Sally? Well if you are interested and intrigued, then you have come to the right place (you’re reading an essay that answers your questioning thoughts)! Specifically, Jane Yolen, the author of the book or story The Stranded Whale, really gave many examples, details, and reasons (that are not shown directly, but through indirect text, so they are not very obvious (not like, “The first reason.”)) that all show that one of the main characters, Sally, a girl who is shorter than her brothers, and often gets teased by them because of that, is someone who does not give up easily. This also means that she perseveres through tough tasks, trying to overcome obstacles. She shows this by not stopping to rest when she was wetting her clothes, always trying to do her best, and most importantly, getting as much help as she could (trying to save Leviathan, the great whale in the Bible).
In the beginning of the story, The Stranded Whale, Jane Yolen (the author) shows the first reason that supports the fact that Sally does not give up (and perseveres), which is that, in the text, Sally did not stop to rest when she was in the process of trying to save the whale (wetting her sweater in the ocean, then running as fast as she could back to Leviathan, the great whale, to moisturize him). Though Sally was very tired, she continued to run back and forth, between the ocean and Leviathan. In the text, it says, “ The policeman who answered said that he’d call the Coast Guard… we kept wetting down that whale, one sweater, two sweaters at a time.” This shows that Sally did not stop wetting down the whale from the Bible, Leviathan. The word “kept” shows that. This quote is important because it shown how much Sally perseveres. The author of The Stranded Whale, Jane Yolen, again shows that Sally is a girl who perseveres and does not give up, by adding a line of text into the story that supports that detail. Jane Yolen whole “We had a whole ocean of water, but I was afraid that it wouldn’t be enough. This quote helps support the fact that Sally does not give up easily, because if Sally planned to do more of the whale-moisturizing process, then have would think ahead to see if they had enough water to succeed in saving the giant whale.
The second reason that supports the detail that Jane Yolen, the author of The Stranded Whale, shows that Sally is a girl who perseveres, is that Sally does not give low quality work. She always tries her best, not matter what the problem that she has to deal with is. Although the task of saving Leviathan, the great whale from the Bible, was a massive and hard task or job, Sally still tried her best. In the text of The Stranded Whale, it says, “I ran to the whale. It stank of fear and deep water.” This line from the text shows that Sally does her best because it shows that she is running, not walking (not hurrying). If Sally did not hurry, then she wouldn’t be trying her best. Usually, when people persevere, then they end up doing their best. So if Sally wasn’t doing her best (not hurrying), then that would show that she wasn’t persevering before. But because she was hurrying before and trying her best, she was persevering in the book, The Stranded Whale. She was going out of her way just to help the whale. If the text said, “I walked slowly,” then the story would automatically mean that Sally was not trying her best while trying to save Leviathan. Another quote that shows how Jane Yolen, the author of the book The Stranded Whale, a book that has many characters that have many great traits, shows how Sally always is hardworking, is the rather short quote from the story, The Stranded Whale, “I plunged the sweater in till it was completely soaked.” This shows Sally is hard working because she did not just dip it in a little bit, then run all the way back to the whale, dripping one bit of water onto the whale, which is not efficient. For her to do her best, she has to be efficient, so she did not waste any time, and dipped her sweater in the water in all the way. These examples all show how Sally, the main character of the story, The Stranded Whale, is always trying her best, which also shows that Sally is someone who doesn’t give up easily (perseveres a lot).
The third way how the author of the book The Stranded Whale, Jane Yolen, showed how Sally is someone who perseveres, is that she wrote that Sally always got as much help as she could. This shows that Sally does not give up because if she did give up, then she wouldn’t have thought about getting more help, as she could get more help (if she did not get help) to save Leviathan. Consequently, Sally and her brothers would regret not getting enough help for Leviathan. I can relate to this because once, I saw a small whale, not in the water, but I decided to not save the whale. This was because I thought I was seeing things. Later, the tiny whale died, and I regret not helping the whale survive (I didn’t tell anyone). One quote from the book The Stranded Whale, by Jane Yolen, that shows this, is the quote, “The boys chased off to the ocean as well,” which shows that Sally got as much help as she could, because it shows that Sally signaled for her brothers to come help her save the whale. The last quote in this essay, written by Jane Yolen that shows that Sally perseveres (doesn’t give up) by getting as much help as she could is the quote, in the book, The Stranded Whale, “‘We need help,’ I said.” This quote shows that Sally helps get help because she is saying to Josh, her brother, to go get help in order to save the whale. This quote shows perseverance because it shows that Sally got help, in order to help the whale get back into the water. Getting as much help as you can is a sign of not giving up because it is showing that you are willing to do more help, and try to solve the situation. If you don’t get more help, then that means you are not persevering as much. This is because you are not willing to do more, which means that you are not very determined to solve whatever situation you are in.
These reasons and examples all prove that Jane Yolen, the author, wrote that Sally is someone or a girl that does not give up, and is a great role model to follow for perseverance. Sally, Josh, and Martin perseveres in the book, The Stranded Whale. I think Sally persevered the most because she never stopped wetting down the whale, she tried her best, even in the toughest situations, and most importantly, got as much help as she could. She also learned to deal with life even when it is tough for her. As much as she wanted the whale to live, the whale died and was just something that happened. That was also a situation that people have to get over with.

[Fromwordstoworlds · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than 2000 whales are found on beeches each year. Some of them die of natural causes while others are victims of parasites, lesions, seaquakes or pollution. Watching them die without being able to help proves our helplessness when nature takes its course.

Jane Yolen's story is extremely sad but honest and provokes readers to understand nature's might. When Sally and her brothers are walking home from school they find a stranded whale on the beach. Powerless, they call for help then watch the whale die...

"I was too mad to cry. Mad at the unforgiving ocean, rushing away from the shore. Mad at our short arm and the whale's long body. Mad that we didn't have a boat, a winch, long ropes to pull it into the sea. Mad at everything"

[Abbie Stice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lovely story about a real life issue of whales getting beached and not being able to be put back in the ocean. I love how this book uses its pictures to set the mood. This would be a great book to discuss how illustrations add to text.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant, pensive story about children who fail to save a beached whale. Melanie Cataldo's muted color illustrations perfectly capture the somber mood.

[Dr. T Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Kind of heavy themes for a picture book. But nicely done.

[Nikki Glassley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Yolen is a gift.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever tried to save someone, or something from being gone from your life forever, but doubted yourself and you were mad that you could not do it. This is exactly what Sally went through. Sally is a girl in the story The Stranded Whale who was trying her best to save the whale who was stuck on the beach shore, but she could not do it and for the rest of the day she was pressuring herself and would never except that she had tried her best to save the poor whale from passing away. I strongly believe that Sally is caring because she did whatever she could to try to save the whale, she would give away the medal that was given to her by the coastguard to see the whale swimming free in the ocean again, and she kept pressuring herself so much because she was devastated that she was unable to save the whale from passing away.

I think that Sally is caring because she did whatever she could to try to save the whale from passing away. According to the text, “When Sally and her two brothers were walking on the dunes nearby the beach to go home, Sally saw a whale stuck on the beach shore and as soon as she saw the whale, she raced down to it slipping and falling down the dunes”. “She raced to the beach and took off her jacket and put it inside the cold water to get it all soaked”. “Then she placed it on the whale until help was found”. This connects to the idea of how Sally is very caring. She does whatever she can to try to keep the whale alive and she never gives up and does it until help arrives. She would never take a tiny rest even when the rest of the helpers were taking a rest, instead she would trying to keep the whale alive. Even if people said that it was impossible to move a whale that big she kept trying.

I believe that Sally is caring because she would give up the medal that was given to her by the coast guard, just to see whale swimming free in the ocean again. In the story, it says that “ I put my medal in the drawer and never took it out again”. This is important because Sally really cared about the whale, she was devastated to see that she could not see the whale swim free again and did not except herself as being a hero. All Sally really wanted was to see the whale swimming free again in the ocean. She did not want a medal instead of seeing the whale again. She did not care about a silly medal that she got for trying to save the whale, she cared about the whale and that is what she wanted nothing else. Of course she knew that it would not be possible, but either way she would never get that thought out of her mind for the rest of the time in bed. This really shows that Sally is caring because she would never want a medal instead of a whale who she really wanted to save. No matter if the medal was even made out of gold she would give it up so see the whale swimming free again.

I strongly believe that Sally is caring because she is always pressuring herself. For example, in the story, it says that “He had tears in his eyes. Not me. I was to mad to cry. Mad at the unforgiving ocean, rushing away from shore. Mad at our short arms and the whale’s long body. Mad that we didn’t have a boat, a winch, long ropes to pull it into the sea. Mad at everything”. This provides further proof of Sally being caring. She really was mad that she could not do anything for the whale and that there was no one to help. She cared so much about the whale and she did not want the whale to go like this. She wanted the whale to live and that she would go back home proud that she had saved the whale. Also another text that helps support this idea is “The grown-ups hauled more water, in big steel buckets from the coast guard truck, and pots and pans from the camper. None of it was enough”. This means that she really doubted herself because she really did not think that anything would work and instead of thinking positive, she would always think the opposite of things and she would be mad at everything that she could think of. Most of the time in the story she would always think of how many things that she should be mad at instead of facing the problems in real life and trying to think positive to try and save someone, or a animal that you really care about. This really shows how Sally is caring.

As you can see, Sally is caring because she did whatever she could to try and save the whale, she would give up the medal that was given to her by the coast guard to see the whale swimming free in the ocean again, and she kept pressuring herself through the story for letting the whale pass away. From this day fourth I will always be caring to anyone who need help, or anyone that even need help. I have had many times in life where I see someone help or be caring to someone who they do not even know who they are and also where someone that I do not know has helped, or care about me

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world can be a challenging place where many things can occur and can be a challenge to stop. In the story, “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen, a girl named Sally sees a stranded whale and does everything she can to save it. The main character, Sally, teaches me to care for all living things. This is shown when Sally first sees the whale, when Sally is mad at everything and most importantly, when Sally doesn’t go home till late.
Sally, the main character really teaches me to care for all living things (nature). This is shown when she first sees the whale. Sally and her brothers were walking home from school because they missed the bus. Sally’s brothers were running around her in circles and teasing her. All the sudden, Sally saw a huge gray thing on the drying sand. She wondered what it was. She knew it couldn’t be a rock, it was too large. As she got closer, she realized it was a stranded whale lying on the beach. According to the text, when Sally saw the whale she cried “look.” This means Sally was overwhelmed when she saw that big stranded whale on the drying sand. It then quotes, “Running, slipping down the dune, I stripped my shoes off, book bag, sweater, leaving the bag and shoes on the sand.” This shows how important Sally thinks the whale is because the only thing on her mind was the whale. In other words, the whale was the only thing she cared about. She ran down to the ocean, through all of her things down on the sand and didn’t care about anything, but the whale. I think what Sally did really shows appreciation for the whale. In the story, it also says, “When I got down to the water at last, I plunged the sweater in till it was completely soaked.” She was probably not happy about getting her sweater ruined, but she knew the whale was more important.
Sally teaches me to care for all living things. This is shown when Sally is mad at everything. It really stands out to me how a girl her age can have such strong feelings for one of the many creatures in the world. It quotes, “I am too mad to cry, mad at the unforgiving ocean, rushing away from the shore. Mad at our short arms and the whales long body. Mad that we didn’t have a boat, a winch, long ropes to pull it into the sea. Mad at everything.” It shows me how a child's feelings and actions can have such a effect on how we act. They all helped try to keep the whale alive and even though Sally didn’t know what was going to happen next, she still cared for the whale. She loved it so much that she talked to the whale. Sally felt like the whale was another person that she cared deeply about, probably like her Aunt or Uncle. We should all try to be like Sally. I will even try to be like her too.
The main character, Sally really teaches me to care for all living things. The most important time Sally shows this is when Sally doesn’t go home until late. In the beginning of the story, it quotes, “We were walking home from school hurrying along the top of the dunes because Ma always hates when were late for supper.” Sally knew her parents would get mad, especially her Ma. In the quote it even says the word hate, that is a pretty strong word. Even though Sally probably had that in mind, she still stayed on the beach until the whale “shut its great eye.” In other words, until the whale died. Sally knew she could get whipped but she only cared about the whale. I think her actions show that the whale is a living thing and living creatures really matter to her.
In the story, “The Stranded Whale” the main character, Sally teaches me to care for all living things, like she does care for the whale. From now on, I will always protect and care for all living things. For example, Sally cared for the whale like I should care for my plants and fish. Because of Sally, I know I should never hurt any living creatures or even nature.

[Subhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the story The Stranded Whale by Jane Yolen there is a girl named Sally and she has 2 brothers one named Martin and the other named Josh. In this book Sally, Martin, and Josh try to save a stranded whale will they succeed? This story teaches me to care about animals. This is shone when Sally plunged her sweater until it was completely soaked to try and save the whale, another way that they helped the whale was when Josh ran half a mile (2 laps) to help the whale, and last and most important this that this story teaches me that you might succeed in life or you might not succeed in life.
One time that Sally helped the whale was when the whale was lying there off the ocean she plunged her sweater until it was completely soaked. This is a sacrifice that she made she wet her sweater for the whale. Something strange is that Sally helped a whale but not her own brother this is shone when Josh says “long division is hard” and Sally responds saying “it’s easy” but after she says that she does not help her brother strangely. Then she saw a whale she left everything in the sand and ran to the whale to help it. If I were her I would help my brother and the whale not only my brother or not only the whale. This is something good that Sally really cares about animals instead of saying “oh the whale will be fine” instead she said “Look” and ran to the whale to help it.
One time that Josh helped the whale was when Josh ran half a mile (2 laps) across the beach to call people to help save the whale. A coast guard answered and said we will be there in 20 minutes. So they keep helping the whale after 20 minutes arrived nine men and a women named Eve they leaped out of the bus and trucks like clowns from the circus. Then everybody pushed the whale Eve said “That’s Leviathan, the great whale in the bible. They won’t be moving it very far”. Eve was right they hardly moved it an inch. Everyone tried everything they could do until the whale shut its eyes and lie there with now no hope.
One time they did not succeed in this story was when everyone cared about that whale and put all their effort and still did not succeed to save the whale, but they all probably wanted the whale to not die. Well I know one person that wanted the whale to be alive and swim freely it’s Sally she said that she wished to see the whale swim free. After the whale died Sally, Martin, and Josh went home and after sometime ding ding the doorbell rang on the door there was a coast guard he gave 3 metals one for Sally the other for Josh and the last one for Martin. The metal had a picture of a whale on one side and on the other there was a picture of the ocean waves. Sally would rather give away her metal and be able to see Leviathan alive again, swimming joyously out to sea, spouting through its blowhole, tail slapping against the water, black eyes shining. She would for sure give her metal if she could see just once see it heading out to deep water, lifting its tail, diving deep, and free.
Sally, Josh, and Martin tried there very best and did everything they can to save the whale sadly they did not succeed. Although they still tried which is the mane thing because one time you will succeed and pass successfully and you will be happy and proud of yourself that you put effort and saved an animal. In this story Sally soaked her sweater to help a whale, another way they tried to save the whale is when Josh ran half a mile (2 laps) to call people to help the whale, and this story teaches me to save animals. Do you want to have more animals in the world and make sure they will not ever be extinct and alway have that animal if you want more animals in the words then you can try to save them it is a good thing to do try it out?

[Tiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember when I attended my grandpa’s funeral in India. His eyes were open, looking up at the sky he could not see. I was in front, and my mom and part of my family stood behind. It was all I could do not to cry. I wished I could have helped. Done something to save him. I wanted him to come back, so I could tell him I had always loved him, and cared for him. The character Sally from the story,” The Stranded Whale”, by Jane Yolen, faced the same problem. She was there to help the whale back into the sea,and was very caring, yet it still died. But she wanted to help from the moment she saw that whale lying on its side, not able to get back into the water. This shows throughout the story, but especially when she first sees the beached whale, and also when she says she would give back her award to see the whale alive again.

I know that the character Sally is always helpful and caring. This shows when she first sees the whale. She sees a beached whale lying on the shore far away from the water. Instead of ignoring it, she goes down to the shore to help it. This shows me she is caring. Many people probably would have called Coast Guard, and then left. She is also helpful. According to the author,“Running, slipping down the dune, I stripped off my shoes, book bag, sweater, leaving the bag and shoes on the sand. As I ran toward the ocean, it must have looked like I was chasing the water, which was heading out to the east. I ran past beached starfish, past little transparent jellyfish breathing in and out on the sand, past busy little crabs going from tide pool to tide pool. When I got to the water at last, I plunged the sweater in till it was completely soaked. The water was a shock, so cold. I could smell the brine. I ran to the whale. It stank of fear and deep water. I wrung the sweater out on the whale’s side, then placed the wet bulk under its eye.” This shows that the moment she saw it, she felt compelled to help it. This also shows she is always willing to help people in need, even strangers, or people she doesn’t even know. And also, even though the whale is an animal, the way she treats it is as if she is treating a wounded person.

Another way that I know Sally is helpful is when she said she would give back her medal for helping the whale just to see it alive again. She must feel slightly as if it was her fault the whale died. Most people would have been content with the award, saying, “I helped try to save a whale!”, then would brandish their medal in the air. But not Sally. The text states, “I’d have given that medal back in a Portland instant just to see the old Leviathan alive again, swimming joyously out to the sea, spouting through its blowhole, tail slapping against the water, black eyes shining. I’d give that medal back for good if I could see it one more time, heading out to deep water, lifting its tail, and diving deep and free.” This shows me that she really wanted to help the whale, even though it would mean giving up the medal she received. However, to Sally, the medal would be a small price to pay to see the whale alive again.

In conclusion, Sally is both helpful and caring. This story has taught me a lot. From today onwards, I will help people as often as I can, especially those who are close to me, because you never know when that chance might be taken away.

-Tiana

[Nicole Leone · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the world is changle, Jane Yolen wrote a story called, The Stranded Whale. A story about three kids who found a whale stranded on the beach, Sally and her two brother’s were just walking home from school along the beach. Then they saw a rock but it was way bigger than normal rock, when they got closer they saw what it was, Screamed Whale! Sally learned that no matter what the size or what it is you always have to try.

The text teaches that no matter what the problem is Sally and her brother’s will always try to help. She thought it was just a boulder, “She had said to her brother’s, the beach was full of boulder’s, but that there was no rock. Then she walked towards the big thing, and then realized that it was a whale. She screamed Whale;and her brother’s rushed over to the whale. While taking off their shoes, and backpacks. Also passing start fish, transparent jellyfish, and crab’s moving from tide pool to tide pool. When she got to the water she dipped her sweater in the water,then wrung the water out on the whale so it could breath. This shows that Sally is a helping person. Because her and her brother’s wrung out the sweaters on the whale so it can breath.


The text teaches that you have to try to help no matter the size, or the person Sally and her brothers will always help. Sally made a face at the water, because she was furious at
the ocean. She was enraged because the ocean was too far away, for the whale to get back. Meantime her brother’s are still wetting down the whale. She said to her brother’s we have the whole ocean but it doesn't seem like it’s enough. Jane Yolen uses Dialogue to build a mood because Sally is worried. Then Josh ran half a mile down the beach, to reach the emergency phone. Then he called 911 and he said there is a stranded whale, on the beach we need help. The officer said I can't help but call the Coast Guard, when the Officer got back on the phone with Josh. He said the Coast Guard will be there in twenty minutes, when the Coast Guard arrived. They had big blue campers, buses with swirls and slogans, they also had pickup trucks.I said it looked like they were circus people. They said Good job kids. But it felt like we did nothing. Jane Yolen uses Tone to support the theme.When everybody gave up Josh ran over and he had tears, building up in his eyes.Then i took a sip of Josh pop soad. This shows that Sally and her brother’s were mad when everybody stopped trying to help she was sad because they could not save the whale.

Then Sally walked over in shame, because she was mad, she could not help. Then she walked to the whale, she talked to it’s eye like it was an ear and said how brave it was, and how strong it was, then as the sun was setting the whale sut it’s eye’s.

As you can see, the character’s in The Stranded Whale can't always get their way because you can’t control the world. Because they could not save the whale. From now on i will try to do the best I can. Somebody once said, you can’t control what happens to you, but the way you react to them.


After i read your book and i really liked it . So my teacher said we had to write an essay. I hope you like it.

[Grace Joo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is perfect, right? Do our new technologies really help us, or are they something else? The technologies we create, starts a gruesome game called death. And “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen, is about the whale sucked into a game of death, and the little girl, whose character was shown as she tried to help it. It really shows how Sally is caring when she, gets mad at ocean for winning death, when she keeps on going, for the whale, and when she is still struck with grief, after the ordeal.

Sally is FURIOUS at everything. In the text, the author spends a short paragraph just elaborating the fact that Sally is mad. The author first described smaller things like an ocean moving on to thing that were “big” and would have helped. One thing, a person could wonder is, “Why does Sally have such an aggressive attitude?”Since she is caring she really wants to help. That’s where the passion comes from. And her drive is the aggression you receive when your a younger sibling because your fighting over everything. This was really a big thing because without her aggression Sally, wouldn’t be the person she is.

Sally had a lot of passion. When everyone was stuffing themselves silly, Sally was the one who wouldn’t eat, she was the one soaking the whale with all her heart, and the others knew what was coming for the whale. Sally did too, but she didn’t give up. She wanted give the whale a comforting ride to heaven. Sally might think that she wasn’t making the whale feel better even though she was. She constantly was using the dump truck of dread to pile up pressure on herself. The text says, “I had a sip of Josh’s pop, then went back to talk to the whale, into the eye like it was an ear, telling the whale how it was beautiful and strong,how we would miss it, whatever happened next.” This quote shows us that Sally is preparing the whale for what would happen next like a mother. So, she was really showing that she cared for the whale by trying to be a parent to the whale.

Sally still feels grief after the ordeal. After the whale died Sally just blames herself. She thought that she could save the whale. She was doing the best she could. It just was that whatever she was doing, it was not enough. Sally only feels grief because she was super caring. She was probably awake the whole night, wishing the whale alive, and hoping it would hear her and come back. She took all the pressure from the situation, and placed it on her back, then neglected to take it of. She just took in all the pressure and used it as a fuel, power for] her caring heart. So as the situation got worse. Sally cared even more. And the caring that once fueled her, afterwards became her greatest dread.

We only get one life, and the one we get, is a short one. Sometimes we lose a game of death like the whale. That is why we must be like Sally, someone who shares the kindness in life, with others. “The Stranded Whale” teaches me to share the kindness I receive, with others and to spend life to my full potential.

By: Shreyas, 5th Grade

[Shreyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is perfect, right? Do our new technologies really help us, or are they something else? The technologies we create, starts a gruesome game called death. And “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen, is about the whale sucked into a game of death, and the little girl, whose character was shown as she tried to help it. It really shows how Sally is caring when she, gets mad at ocean for winning death, when she keeps on going, for the whale, and when she is still struck with grief, after the ordeal.

Sally is FURIOUS at everything. In the text, the author spends a short paragraph just elaborating the fact that Sally is mad. The author first described smaller things like an ocean moving on to thing that were “big” and would have helped. One thing, a person could wonder is, “Why does Sally have such an aggressive attitude?”Since she is caring she really wants to help. That’s where the passion comes from. And her drive is the aggression you receive when your a younger sibling because your fighting over everything. This was really a big thing because without her aggression Sally, wouldn’t be the person she is.

Sally had a lot of passion. When everyone was stuffing themselves silly, Sally was the one who wouldn’t eat, she was the one soaking the whale with all her heart, and the others knew what was coming for the whale. Sally did too, but she didn’t give up. She wanted give the whale a comforting ride to heaven. Sally might think that she wasn’t making the whale feel better even though she was. She constantly was using the dump truck of dread to pile up pressure on herself. The text says, “I had a sip of Josh’s pop, then went back to talk to the whale, into the eye like it was an ear, telling the whale how it was beautiful and strong,how we would miss it, whatever happened next.” This quote shows us that Sally is preparing the whale for what would happen next like a mother. So, she was really showing that she cared for the whale by trying to be a parent to the whale.

Sally still feels grief after the ordeal. After the whale died Sally just blames herself. She thought that she could save the whale. She was doing the best she could. It just was that whatever she was doing, it was not enough. Sally only feels grief because she was super caring. She was probably awake the whole night, wishing the whale alive, and hoping it would hear her and come back. She took all the pressure from the situation, and placed it on her back, then neglected to take it of. She just took in all the pressure and used it as a fuel, power for] her caring heart. So as the situation got worse. Sally cared even more. And the caring that once fueled her, afterwards became her greatest dread.

We only get one life, and the one we get, is a short one. Sometimes we lose a game of death like the whale. That is why we must be like Sally, someone who shares the kindness in life, with others. “The Stranded Whale” teaches me to share the kindness I receive, with others and to spend life to my full potential.

[Sanjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

In literature, authors write a lot about how characters face challenges but, don’t give up and are hardworking. In the story “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen, the characters try to save a whale stranded on shore, with all their hard work. The characters are hardworking because they try to provide water for the whale, call others for help, and try to push the whale back to the ocean.
The characters in the story are hardworking. This is shown when they try to provide water for the whale. The siblings Josh, Martin, and Sally were walking back home from school but, they stopped midway seeing a stranded whale on shore. They tried to provide water for the whale by squeezing the water on the whale. In the story it says,“I plunged the sweater in till it was completely soaked. I wrung the sweater out on the whale’s side then placed the wet bulk under its eye.” This shows that even though they won’t be able to help the whale themselves, they still did the best they could and didn’t give up. The children Sally, Josh, and Martin ran back and forth from the ocean to the whale. They soaked their wet sweaters on the whale’s side in the sunset. They knew that three children won’t be able to help a huge whale so, they decided to call others for help.

The characters in this story are hardworking. This is shown when they call others for help. The children call others to help them save the whale. The text states, “Josh raced off to an emergency phone halfway along the beach, maybe half a mile away. The policeman who answered said he’d call the Coast Guard.” This shows that they are hardworking because they didn’t call strangers to help them. They called the police officer but, he sent the Coast Guard. Josh had also walked about a mile to make a phone call seeking help from the police officer. The text also states,”Nine men and a woman named Eve leaped out of the bus and trucks like clowns from a circus.” This shows that they are hardworking because they called more than one person to help them.

The characters in the story are hardworking. This is shown when they all tried to push the whale back into the ocean. The children and the adults had put in lot of effort to save the whale. The text says, “The men rocked and pushed the whale back and forth toward the outgoing tide.” This shows that they are hardworking because they put in all their effort to save the whale. They had barely even moved an inch. They tried to push the whale as hard as they could. Every second, the ocean appeared to be farther for them. They all grew tired so, they quit rocking, swaying, and pushing the whale from different angles. Even though they were all hardworking, the whale couldn’t survive and it died on shore.
As you can see, in the story “The Stranded Whale”, the characters are hardworking. A girl named, Sally continues to work hard and help others in any problem they had even though the whale died. Her brothers and the adults also continue to work hard and help others in need. Based on this story, how will you change your perspective of life?

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isabelle # 12
January 30, 2018
The Stranded Whale
By : Isabelle Marvar

What would our world be like if nobody cared or helped? Would we still be living on planet Earth or would it be renamed something harsh because of our behavior? In the story, The Stranded Whale by Jane Yolen, the main character Sally shows us that you should always be aware of others. Sally shows us this when she is being caring, empathetic, and most importantly helpful as the whale is suffering. She made sure she could help in every which way.
One reason is, Sally is very caring. In the story she speaks to the whale saying
encouraging words. “....telling the whale how it was beautiful and strong.” She is telling the whale to be brave and she wants it to survive. She is saying calming words. When the whale died she was still mad. She wanted to save the whale, but it died and people said they were heroes. “ …..just to see old Leviathan again, swimming joyously out to sea, spouting through its blowhole, tail slapping against the water, black eyes shining.” You can infer that she didn’t think of themselves as heroes. She feels like she let the whale down.
Also, the story shows that Sally is empathetic. I think that Sally is empathetic because as the whale was suffering she felt bad. The moment she saw the beached whale she ran to help. “Running, slipping down the dune, I stripped off my shoes, book bag, sweater, leaving the bag and shoes on the sand. As I ran toward the ocean …….” Sally feels bad for the whale and she rushes to help. She doesn’t have a bucket to fill so she uses her sweater to soak the whale in ocean water. When her brothers see her doing this kind act they join in too.
Lastly, Sally is helpful because when the crew comes she and her brothers try to help even more. “Martin and Josh tried to help.” They wanted to help and make sure that Leviathan would stay alive and make it back to the ocean. They tried everything, but in the end the stranded whale died. Sally was mad and wanted to make sure that the whale survived, she was hoping that it would go well, but she failed. This story shows that we should be caring and aware of others, and Sally shows us just that. She stays with the whale while everyone is seated ready to have lunch. She helps the whale feel stronger and more brave than it was before. The whale is still beached, but feeling better.
All in all, I hope that you agree with me that Sally is caring, empathetic, and most importantly helpful. Sally shows that she is depressed because of the loss of the whale. I can relate to this, not because I have experienced dying, but loss of something. Before I moved to an apartment I used to have a pet bunny. I knew we would have to sell it because we were moving to an apartment that didn’t allow pets. When we sold the pet I wasn’t even there to say goodbye! I missed him so much. I lost my one and only pet.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Stranded Whale" By: Abby

In literature, authors write a lot about how characters are caring to others. What is cool to see is who they are caring to. “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen is all about how caring Sally is to the whale. In “The Stranded Whale” Sally is caring to the whale. Sally shows this by finding the whale and putting water on it. She also shows this by calling the Coast Guard for help. Most importantly she shows this by staying with the whale until his last breath.

My first reason is in “The Stranded Whale” Sally is caring to the whale. Sally shows this by finding the whale and putting water in him. One example is Sally ran down the hill and slipped just to see the whale. “I dipped my sweater in the water and gently set it on the whale.” The author Jane Yolen set the problem up to show that the whale is not doing very well. This quote shows that Sally was really caring to the whale by almost falling and using her sweater to help the whale. Sally also was late to supper just to help the whale survive. Sally’s Ma likes for her to eat on time, but Sally was too worried about the whale staying alive when she got back, Ma was crying.

My second reason is in “The Stranded Whale'' Sally is caring to the whale. She shows this by calling the Coast Guard for help. In particular, Sally yelled, “We need help!” So her brother Josh raced to the emergency phone. Jane Yolen uses dialogue to show that Sally cared for the whale. This shows the readers that Sally wanted to help the whale. This shows in a big way that Sally cares about the whale and she wants to find help so that the whale is safe. “When the Coast Guard got to the shore they hauled out big steel buckets from the truck then they tried to push the whale but he was too heavy.” The Coast Guard gave up and just had a party.” Sally used the buckets to save the whale. Consequently, since the Coast Guard did not help the whale died.

Most importantly in “The Stranded Whale” Sally is caring to the whale. She shows this by staying with him until he dies. Sally and the Coast Guard tried to push him back into the water but he was too heavy. Sally went back to the whale and started talking to him. She says “You are so strong and so beautiful.” The author used a tone to show that Sally said “You are so strong and beautiful.” in a gently sad tone. “At last just as the sun was setting the whale shut his great big eye and died.” This quote shows me that she really did stay with the whale until he died.

As you can see, Sally was very thoughtful towards the whale. She shows this by finding the whale and putting water on it, she shows this by calling the Coast Guard for help, and lastly, she shows this by staying with the whale until his last breath. From now on I will be thoughtful and kind-hearted to everyone I see in need. I really learned that Sally was kind-hearted to the whale, no matter what.

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stranded Whale By Jane Yolen.

Hi my name is Savannah, and this is my response about the stranded whale by Jane Yolen. Have you ever thought about being the thoughtful one, where you really care about someone or something that you would do anything to help that something or someone.





The stranded whale is a very interesting story because it teaches us how to be thoughtful about our surroundings. For example “Look I I cried, pointing. Both the boys turned at once, seeing what I saw: a stranded whale laying on its side, with the outgoing tide too far behind it so it couldn’t get back in the water on its own.” Towards the middle he and her two brothers noticed a dying stranded whale and went to help the whale. She dropped all her things and took off her shoes, Finally she grabbed her jacket and soaked it in the water. She quickly and repeatedly wrinkled it out and so did her brothers. A little bit later one of her brothers ran as fast as they could to the emergency phone and called the coast guard people.


Finally what seemed like forever they arrived and tried to help.These people came with all different types of tools, specifically things like a winch and a small net and so many other things. Sally the girl was not upset but mad. She was mad at the people she was mad she did not have a winch or a boat. She was mad and the whale for being stuck. She keeps on worrying. Sally is very upset but mostly angry because she could not save the whale. Other people warm them to feel better. This teacher us that we need to beagle tho get through hard yhing such as this.

“Just then the coast guard guy came by. He gave Josh, Martin, and me each brown metal with a picture of a whale on one side and ocean waves on the other. You never covered the blow hole he said. What felt like so long the people had told them that they had lost the whale. “Josh came back and stood by me. He had tears in his eyes'' that showed that they really cared and supported my claim to show how caring and thoughtful they are. They had received metals for their hard work and effort and trying their hardest to save the whale.In conclusion they are very thoughtful and caring for each other and trying to save the whale. At the end the whale slowly started to close its eye particularly meaning it was dieing as the sun set. This tells me that they tried to save it and really cared about its existence. The text teaches that to not be selfish by only caring about yourself and not others.


In conclusion I was basically talking about how these nice kids tried to save a whale but, specifically, the characters are thoughtful and made me think how thoughtful I can be towards others and how helpful I can be and caring. That can help others think about how to be nice and caring. I think that this story should help Sally get through other problems that are harder to let pass by. Thank you so much for reading my response.

[Mika · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen shoes to look around and be aware of your surrounding


In life sometime you need to look around and be aware of your surrounding, The book “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen teaches us to look around and be aware of your surrounding, because when Sally look around she fine the whale and when sally that all the people say that the come to help but they don’t really help, and Sally fill sad so that shows to look around and help to the people around you and most importantly that when my friend family crass by a car because one care don’t look around so the book “The Stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen teaches us to look around and be aware of your surrounding.
One example, of this is whan Sally and her brothers return from school and Sally brothers talking but Sally walking and then she see the whale and if she was not looking around maybe she wouldn't see the whale so is very important to look around and to be aware of your surrounding.
Another reason, why some time you need to look around and be aware of your surrounding, is when Sally was think about “All come to help or so they said. Everyone ate and drank like it was a party .” So this shows that sometime not all the people were caring, and nice. That shows that you need to be aware of your surrounding, because you need to see if you can just happen when someone sad.
For example, before two years I and my brothers return from school , I was talking with my twin brother and then we wanted to cross the street, but we don’t look before, because I and my twin brother was talking and then my Little brother see a car, but still walk and then he see me and my twin brother crossing the street and then they told us to stop walking because the car almost crashed unto us. So if my Little brother was looking around, maybe we could have died, so this shows that you need to be alert and be aware of your surrounding. Another example is when of my friend go to the “Zoo” and wham they exit from the car and cross the street and then one car stop (because the cross the street.) and the car who was behind pass the car who was stop for friend family. And then they crashed my friend family. And this shows that you need to look around and be active.
In they story “The Stranded Whale” by Jone Lolen, teaches us to look around and to be aware of your surrounding, because when Sally look around she find the whale and whan Sally see that all the people who came to help the don’t very help sx that shows that some time you need to look around and help when people need help, and because my friend crashed by a car because one people don’t was look around , so they story “The Stranded Whale” by Jone Lolen techies as that you need to be alert, to be active and to look around and most importantly to be aware of your surrounding.

[Caden Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stranded Whale By Jane Yolen



Written by Caden Jackson


Have you heard of the story called “The Stranded Whale” one of the most heartfelt and emotional stories. “The Stranded Whale” teaches to never give up even if it doesn’t work out. Just like how the main character Sally never gave up when she was trying to save the whale that was stranded on the beach. And when a group of people tried to push the whale back into the ocean. And when Sally dips her sweater into the water to help keep the whale wet.

My first reason “The Stranded Whale” teaches to never give up even if it doesn’t work out. Sally shows this when she tries to save the whale. At the beginning of the story when Sally saw the whale she ran as fast as she could to help it. They got help from the coast guard and some volunteers came to help. “The grown-ups hauled more water, in big steel buckets from the coast guard truck, and pots and pans from the camper. None of it was enough.” And in particular, Sally tried to push the whale too. This shows how they tried to save the whale by dumping water on it but it didn’t work. Jane Yolen uses the goal of showing character motivation, for example, when Sally finds out people are having a party it drives Sally to work even harder to save the whale.
Another reason “The Stranded Whale” teaches that you should never give up even if it doesn’t work out is that a group of people tried to push the whale back into the ocean. Even when the men had used all their strength they still tried because they wanted to help. “The men rocked and pushed the whale back and forth toward the outgoing tide. They hardly moved an inch.” This quote shows that the men tried their best but couldn’t help the whale.
My most important reason “The Stranded Whale” teaches to never give up even if the best doesn’t work out is that Sally kept putting water on the whale, Sally did everything she could to help. The text states that “I wrung the sweater out on the whale's side, then placed the wet bulk under its eye.” Sally even sacrificed her sweater to help the whale stay alive but she still couldn‘t save it. Also at the end of the story, the text says, “At last though, just as the sun was setting, the whale shut its great eye.” In this part of the story Jane Yolen uses the technique of symbolism to show how they couldn’t save the whale and it would be missed.
In conclusion, “The Stranded Whale'' teaches us to never give up even if it doesn’t work out. Just like how the main character Sally tried to save the whale. And when some men tried to rock the whale back and forth to get it back into the ocean. Finally, the most important reason is that Sally carried water back and forth from the ocean and dumped it on the whale. A lot can be learned from this story and remember don’t give up even if the best doesn’t work out.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Stranded Whale”

Literary Essay
Story by: Jane Yolen
Essay by: Gary Lyu #17


A life is very important, no one wants to lose a life, right? Same as an animal, it doesn’t want to lose its life. According to the article “The stranded Whale” by Jane Yolen, a Stranded whale died because it doesn't have any water and it too big that people can not save it. So the main character Sally, a caring girl is very mad. The story “The Stranded Whale” teaches that you need to be caring and kind to anything. It could be a human, a plant or an animal. If you can help something , you should help it.You don’t want to see them losing a life, may be later one day, they will help you too, and at that day, you will be very glad that you help them.


Sally is caring. When she was on her way to go home, she saw a stranded whale(the whale’s name is Leviathan) on the sand. She really want to save it, so she and her brothers dipped their sweaters in to the sea, ran back and put them on the whale. And they call the police let them to save the whale, but the whale is too big that police can not save it either, so the whale died and Sally was very mad, she was mad at everything, even she is a hero and get a brown medal from the Coast Guard, and the brown medal has a picture of a whale on one side, ocean wave on the other side, she is still mad. Sally even give the brown medal back to the Coast Guard. She just want to see Leviathan alive again, swimming joyously out to sea, heading out to deep water, lifting its tail, spouting through its blowhole, tail slapping against the water, black eye shining, diving deep and free. This shows that Sally is very caring.


The whale is poor, but I guess it is very happy that a little girl and her brother help it. When it close its eyes, it knows that the little girl is very mad, mad at everything, it want everyone to be like the little girl, like how she is caring about animals. The little girl really do not want the whale died, she wants the whale to be alive and free. And I guess the whale really want to say “thank you” to Sally and want to help Sally.


As you can see, the character Sally in the story “The stranded whale is very caring, she care about “a man is writ large” (a whale), and she was mad at everything just because the whale died, she didn’t save the whale. From now on, I will go to help anything I can help, just like Sally. I don’t care if it is a human, an animal, or even a plant, I will just help him/her/it, when I help them, my parents and I will be very happy about that.