As 100 animals gather in this book, is there room for a whale to join the fun? A pair of male lions and their cubs are among the wide variety of animals in this frolicsome tale—but the book’s message of inclusion goes beyond just their appearance.
“One hundred might fit in this tale./But can we fit a whole blue whale?” begins Whole Whale, written by Karen Yin and illustrated by Nelleke Verhoeff (Barefoot Books). The premise may be silly, but that’s part of its charm. As the animals congregate, the question about the whale repeats, building suspense as page after page grows more crowded and we see glimpses of a blue body at the edges. Yet the animals believe that “When everybody makes some space,/One more can always find a place,” and they work to make it so. The final reveal, in a double fold-out spread, is joyous and satisfying, and challenges readers to find all 100 animals. (Don’t worry, there’s a guide on the next page.)
Yin’s precisely cadenced rhymes and artful alliteration are a joy to read. Verhoeff’s colorful images, which carry the weight of the denouement, also show the animals interacting and problem solving as part of a vibrant community. Verhoeff has added just the right amount of whimsy—the sheep, for example, is “a real acrobat,” as she notes in a piece at Barefoot Books.
Yin explained in her own article at Barefoot Books that she was inspired to write the book after thinking about the U.S. government’s practice of tearing families apart at the U.S.-Mexico border. “My whale, who represents historically marginalized members of society, literally appears along the margins for most of the book. When the animals see the writing on the wall for the whale, they work together to change the way her story ends. Instead of leaving her out or telling her to change, the animals transform the space to welcome her,” she said. She hopes that children will take this “outside-the-book solution” with them and remember that “If it was people who built the structures, created the boxes, and drew the lines, then people can also change them.”
Whole Whale is the debut picture book by Yin, a Lambda Literary Fellow and award-winning fiction writer, who has been a copywriter and editor for over two decades. She’s also the creator of the Conscious Language Style Guide, an invaluable resource for anyone interested in how language can be used to empower and not to limit. Verhoeff is an award-winning illustrator with numerous books to her credit, including the delightful The Bread Pet: A Sourdough Story, written by Kate DePalma, about a girl (who happens to have two moms) and a bread starter run amuck. Yin and Verhoeff’s collaboration is a sterling example of how to create a clever, original book that remains fun even as it carries a message. Whole Whale is a delightful and meaningful title for any bookshelf.
(H/t to the #QueerKidLit Twitter chat and hosts Jeanette Bradley and Dani Duck. I found out about this book when Yin was a guest there.)