Whale Brother

by Barbara Steiner, Gretchen Mayo (Illustrator)

Omu longs to find the magic he needs to create great whalebone carvings and inspired music on his harmonica, but he does not discover the inspiration until he stands watch beside a dying killer whale.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Also writes under the name Barbara A. Steiner.

Reviews

[S.L. Hawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, this does not enhance your knowledge of Alaskan, Greenland, Aleutian, Arctic Circle cultures, BUT it does explore loss and grief that comes with not being able to express your inner gifts and the trans formative process loss and isolation can provide to the artist and the budding artist in every child. The idea of qaarstiluni is beautiful and even though I read this book to my children and then forgot about it, the message, I did not. To this day, "waiting for something to burst" helps me get through the worst times in the creative process, and as a child, it is comforting to know that one day they too will find something beautiful burst out of themselves.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt good as I read this book. Not stressed. It allowed me to see a glimpse of a world I love through another's eyes. Steiner brings the reader closer to nature, while also showing us what it means to be an artist. I'd be careful when choosing a time to read this to a child. Omu's life is so different from ours, that the kids could easily close down when listening to this story and decide they don't like books about whales/life in the arctic. This will remain on my shelves (real and virtual).

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story just didn't seem to flow well. It seems to be forced and written more to make a point. Wasn't a rich story that enhanced my cultural knowledge about Alaska.