This Morning I Met a Whale

by Michael Morpurgo

This is a fictional account of the day a whale swam up the Thames, in which the whale makes an environmental plea to the boy who first sees him.At sunrise, young Michael spots a whale on the shores of the Thames and thinks he must be dreaming. But the creature is real and it has a message for him - one that only an open-minded child can deliver to the rest of the world. The whale warns that the earth's days are numbered and that humans must put right the damage they are doing, but how can Michael fulfil his promise to tell others when neither his teacher nor his classmates will believe his story? Within hours, the city and the wider world have learned of London's remarkable visitor, and all eyes are on the whale's struggle against the receding tide. Michael must now join his new friend in a race against time to reach the ocean, and hold fast to his promise in the race to save the world itself.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Fantasy, Environment, Novels

80 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is a really beautiful, touching, and sad book that really gets you thinking. It was beautifully written and the story was amazing. It has a really good moral, also. I loved reading this.

I give it five stars for...
The beautiful writing.
The meaningful moral.
The illustrations.
The way it touches the reader.

If you are looking for a relatively short book to read, I'd highly recommend reading this.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad and poignant story based on a true event.

A boy takes a regular walk down to the Thames - and one morning he sees a whale in the river. To his immense surprise, the whale starts to speak to him.

Later, at school, he writes the story of what the whale said - even to giving up his lunch break to do so. When it's read out by the teacher, Michael is mocked for insisting it's true. Only when a cry of excitement goes up about a whale being seen in the river does Michael's story gain credibility. But Michael is appalled and terrified - his whale has obviously not made it back to the sea... and safety.

[Rosie Howard-Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with its use in a classroom setting in mind. As a child i read a few Micheal Morpurgo books but not many. I have to say this one was great! The book follows a little boy from Battersea who gets up each morning to go to the bank of the Thames and bird watch, one morning he is greeted by a much larger creature.

The simple and honest message conveyed by the narrative and the beautiful illustrations help to teach a very good life lesson on the climate, friendship and the value of Mother Nature. As a book to read in a classroom I think this one would be a perfect fit!

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“I thought the best thing I could do was to just keep talking. I couldn’t think what else to do. For a moment or two I didn’t know what else to say, and anyway I suddenly felt a bit stupid talking to him…”

Has anyone ever not imagined that they can talk to an animal? A beautiful but sad tale based on a true story - and he’s definitely right in that this should all be a timely reminder for the circumstances on both parts

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael loves nature and likes nothing more than to sneak out of his house in the mornings to do some bird-watching. However one morning, before anyone else is awake Michael strolls down to the River Thames and is shocked to see a whale. He rushes to see it and the whale moves closer to him. However it is no accident that the whale is here, as he has a very important message for Michael. Humans are destroying our planet and the adults are not doing anything about it. It is up to the children to save us all: “You are killing the world. Tell a child grandfather said. Only the children will put it right.”

After his encounter Michael goes to school and tells his story to the class. They find it hard to believe that a whale was in the River Thames, let alone that it was talking. However when they all find out that a whale was spotted in the river they quickly change their tunes. The book is adapted from the actual event when a whale entered the River Thames in January 2006. Therefore if you remember that story you can guess how the book ends.

I think this book is beautifully written, full of description to fill the reader’s imagination. The illustrations perfectly match the story’s feel and I enjoy how the environment is focused on throughout the book, in a typically subtle manner. Any awareness we can bring to the fragile state our planet is in to our youngest generation will benefit all of us. I would expect 7-9 year old children would get the most out of this book.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short children's story was pretty good. It wasn't what I thought it was gonna be, which was a little disappointing, but I can't hold that against the book because it's not like Morpurgo wrote specifically to please me. The illustrations are just beautiful so the book is worth reading even just for that. Obviously it's pretty sad, Morpurgo has a thing about animals dying - (in case you didn't know, he wrote War Horse; but who doesn't know that?) - and the fact that it was based on a true incident when a whale got beached in the Thames, made it all the more sadder. Anyway, that was a nice short break ... now back to the other damned book I'm reading.

[Jennifer Gustafson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book with a message about the human impact on the climate. I think this book could inspire some great creative writing in the classroom. Perhaps children could write a story about another animal reaching out to humans for help. It would also be nice to write an alternative ending.

[Mã Phong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hôm bữa đi nhà sách, mình tình cờ thấy cuốn này trên kệ. Mình cũng không khoái mấy truyện thiếu nhi có thú vật là nhân vật chính lắm đâu, nhưng thấy sách cũng mỏng, lại từ NXB Kim Đồng - NXB yêu thích nhất của mình, nên nghĩ dành ra chừng một tiếng để đọc cũng được, không mất gì.

Văn phong của tác giả tạo cho mình cảm giác dễ chịu khi đọc, đó là điểm mình thích khi đọc truyện thiếu nhi: câu văn dễ hiểu, hồn nhiên trong sáng. Ngoài ra, phần tranh minh họa vô cùng đẹp cũng hấp dẫn mình đọc nó chứ không mang lại cảm giác chán.

Từ đoạn này trở đi, sẽ có spoiler để mình bàn luận nhiều hơn về nội dung truyện: Tình huống chú cá voi bơi vào hồ để truyền thông điệp con người hãy dừng việc phá hoại môi trường sống và giết hại các sinh vật khác đến chú bé Michael không phải là ý tưởng mới mẻ gì, nhưng mình vẫn thấy khá thú vị, nhất là đây lại là truyện thiếu nhi, thì tính ra ý tưởng này cũng độc đáo đó chứ. Mình thích chi tiết ông nội chú cá voi nói rằng hãy truyền thông điệp này đến những đứa trẻ, vì chúng vẫn còn là người tốt và biết lắng nghe, còn người lớn thì xấu xa và không biết dừng lại những hành động xấu của mình. Những đứa trẻ cũng là ân nhân của ông nội chú cá voi khi ông bị mắc cạn, nên ông muốn trả ơn cho chúng.

Cái kết: Khi đọc đến những trang cuối cùng, toàn thân mình như run lên vì lo ngại cho mạng sống của chú cá voi. Nhưng mình nghĩ dù sao đây cũng là truyện cho thiếu nhi, lại do Kim Đồng phát hành nên chắc chú cá voi vẫn sống thôi, vì đó là giá trị nhân văn thường thấy trong truyện thiếu nhi. Vậy mà đọc tới đoạn nó ngừng thở, mình quá bất ngờ và cảm xúc như muốn thoát ra nhưng bị nghẹn lại. Trước đi đọc, mình không kỳ vọng gì ở truyện này cả, vì nó mỏng quá mà, nghĩ chắc truyện vui vẻ ngắn ngắn cho con nít đọc thôi. Vậy mà đọc 1-2 trang cuối cùng, bạn tin không, mình muốn rớt nước mắt, nhưng kiềm chế lại được, không tài nào nghĩ một cuốn truyện thiếu nhi mỏng nhưng đoạn kết lại nặng nề như vậy. Đây cũng là cuốn sách đầu tiên làm mình sém rớt nước mắt, bất ngờ thiệt, không trông đợi gì nhiều nhưng cuối cùng nó lại tạo ra được thứ cảm xúc vô cùng mạnh mẽ đối với mình. Mình nghĩ cha mẹ anh chị nào nhà có con em nhỏ thì đừng cho chúng đọc truyện này khi chúng vẫn còn quá nhỏ, vì cái kết khá ám ảnh và gây sốc. Bản thân mình 20 mấy tuổi rồi nhưng đọc tới nó còn run lên và sém khóc thì chưa biết mấy bé đọc sẽ như thế nào. Tuy nhiên, đó chỉ là cảm nhận của mình thôi, mỗi người khi đọc lại có những cảm xúc không ai giống ai.

Thường mấy truyện mỏng mỏng thế này gần như mình chỉ chấm cao nhất là 3 sao, nhưng cái kết của truyện khiến mình có nhiều cảm xúc quá nên mình nâng lên thành 4 sao, coi như một lời giới thiệu để nhiều người Việt Nam đọc truyện này hơn, mình nghĩ trẻ em hay người lớn gì đều nên đọc truyện này, vì nó rất hay và sâu sắc.

Đánh giá: 3,5/5 lên 4/5

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit hard to rate this one. The artwork is incredibly, absolutely stunning, and reminiscent of early children's books illustrations. The story wasn't quite on par though. It was rather sad, and neither the boy nor the whale felt like distinctive characters. There is a moral, but it's both heavy handed and hidden, so that the ending just feels hopeless and futile, whereas I think the moral was actually meant to be encouraging and a call to action. Grateful to have found a talented illustrator though.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love Michael Morpurgo - A National Treasure for children’s books.
This is our favourite from the very long list of books he has written. Inspired by a true story, it is a lovely touching story about a whale. Christian Birmingham matches the story with impressionist-like pictures.
Children will love this. Adults will love this and adults who are trying to encourage young readers will want to get a copy.

[Niall Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my class at school. It’s a great book that links to The environment and how humans have damaged it: the reason we read it because we was looking at the environment and sustainability in Humanities. A light read and one that delivers the message that we humans must make significant change to save the planets and it’s animals too. A great book.

[Nguyễn Vũ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Năm ngoái tình cờ tìm được mấy cuốn truyện thiếu nhi in 4 màu rất đẹp của Michael Morpurgo, không hiểu sao lại để sót cuốn này. Nói chung cuốn nào cũng hay hết. Còn về thứ tự yêu thích chắc là: Bản nhạc của Mozart, Trở về tuổi thơ, Hành trình của cá voi, Chú kì lân tuyệt diệu.

[Lars Øen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fin bok med masse illustrasjoner. Lærer elevene om bærekraft og hvordan mennesker behandler verden. Lett å selge den inn når man viser nyhetssak fra den gangen en hval svømte opp Themsen. Bok for hele mellomtrinnet, så lenge engelsken er på plass.

[Ayla Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Why the Whales Came as a child and remember there being a beautiful mural of the front cover. I Came a across this book a few weeks ago in a charity show and thought it looked just as beautiful. I was so glad I picked it up as I enjoyed it just as much.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

212 - 2017

[tRiSh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish we could all read this story and believe it. Everything about it is beautiful and scary.

[Séamus Fanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY nice illustrations. And an ok story.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, tragic, powerful.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whale, a boy, and the story take the reader into the realm of imagination. Based on the true event writer makes the story for the young reader, a book for the older age group as well.

[Aleck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really good book. In my opinion i think he is autistic like me.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my English class, and wow, though it was short, it had so much to say. Sad, yet uplifting, I can’t wait to see in which ways I can use this when teaching!

[tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

child me sobbed

[Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beatiful short story, with important lessons!

[Jennefer Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book inspired by the visit of a whale to the Thames and the efforts to float it off.

[Maryam · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love it it shoude be the best book in all uae.

[Isha · Rating 5 out of 5]

rest in peace Willy, i’m sorry my generation let you down and failed to keep our promise.

[Roza Rinaldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this like 2 years ago, was actually traumatic


DATES ARE AN ESTIMATE I REALLY FORGET WHEN I WAS MADE READ THIS 💔

[Roza Rinaldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Morpurgo is a good author and all but this was traumatic

[Unal Olgun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is another masterpiece written by Michael Morpurgo. Beautifully written and illustrated. Based on a real life event about a whale visiting the Thames in 2006. This book is a great read with a beautiful story that makes people think creatively.

The story is of a young boy names Michael. Michael lives near Battersea Bridge and loves waking up early to go and watch the birds on the River Thames. One extraordinary day, he finds a bottlenose whale swimming towards him. The whale shockingly talks to Michael and tells him why he had swum from the sea to River Thames to deliver a message. The whale tells a story that was told to him by his granddad and was told to deliver it to children. Michael listened and promised not to forget the important message and that he will pass it on to others.

In school, Michael’s teacher sets a task for pupils to write about something that is true. Michael writes about the whale and has it read out by the teacher to the whole class. As a result, the students make fun of Michael and shout horrible things like “Liar, liar, pants on fire!”. The head teacher approached the class and told the class to get ready and go down to the river because there was a whale stuck in the river.

The school goes down to the river and finds the whale. The class teacher and the pupils are in shock. Does the whale make it back out to the sea? What was the important message delivered by the whale?

This book is ideal for ages 8+. This book could be used to read to a class and to inspire creative writing. For example:

1)Introduce the story: Asking children how they would feel if they suddenly saw a whale swimming in a river. Would they believe it was true?

2) Reading the story: Why do you think the whale has come down the river?

3) Follow-up: What do the children think Michael could do to keep his promise to the whale, to help people stop damaging the environment?

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hardly Moby Dick for children! But tells its tale of a stranded bottle-nosed whale by Battersea Bridge & beyond, with feeling & imagination. Michael, the main human protagonist, shows an instinctive compassion for a rare but dying breed in Old Father Thames & is inspired by his imagined conversations with the messenger from the natural world to reach-out to its despair & touch something beyond the banal & everyday...a certain life-long, personal crusade to save the environment! Michael Morpurgo's stories for children of all ages always reach me too! Wonderfully evocative illustrations from Christian Birmingham too in this edition.