Thoughts from an Idle Hour

In times past, children’s books about whales focused on the hunting and slaughter of these majestic marine mammals; these days, picture books are more likely to feature conservation efforts and whale watching.

Here is a collection of picture books by Australian authors and illustrators. Some invite children into the whales’ marine environment, fostering awe and wonder; several feature attempts to save stranded whales (both factual and fictional rescues); and some immerse readers in Indigenous lore and culture.

Please note: age recommendations are a guide only.

For ages 3+

A story of magic and of wishes fulfilled.

Whale’s song travels through the ocean, gladdening hearts as he goes, but his own heart is empty. The ocean carries whale’s wish to another whale and, in their newfound companionship, they sing of ‘happiness and hope, magic and wonder’.

Pignataro’s watercolour illustrations gracefully evoke the fluidity of the undersea environment.

• _{Awards: International Book Awards, Children’s Picture Book Hardcover Fiction (winner, 2020)}

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A simple tale of childhood passion and dedication.

Charlie loves everything about the sea but his particular fascination is whales. He longs to see a real whale. On a visit to the beach, Charlie scans the water with patience and perseverance but no success. When it’s time to go home, he takes one last look…

• _{Teachers’ notes available from Hachette}

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A straightforward tale on cleaning up the marine environment.

When whales start leaving the ocean and walking on the land (and seriously disrupting human activity), a young girl asks the whales why they have come:

‘The ocean is full of rubbish, you see.
It’s become like a gigantic bin!
As soon as someone cleans it up,
we’ll all go right back in.’

The humans embark on a clean-up and the whales happily return to the ocean.

• _{Teachers’ notes available from the Primary English Teaching Association Australia}
• _{Awards: CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Early Childhood (honour book, 2022)}

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Based on the true story of a southern right whale born in Sydney Harbour in 2012. When the calf becomes separated from its mother, a community effort helps reunite them. Dawson’s use of watercolours effectively conveys the watery harbour environment.

(Note: Gibbes’ text refers to the singing of the mother whale. While female whales can vocalise, only the males sing.)

• _{Teachers’ notes available from HarperCollins}
• _{Awards: The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children’s Literature, Picture Fiction (shortlisted 2018), Royal Zoological Society of NSW Whitley Award for Best Book, Young Children’s Book (winner, 2018)}

For ages 6+

A workshopped version of an old Noongar story.

A young Noongar man takes a long journey inside a whale, singing as he travels. He is eventually thrown up on a beach where he joins the local people. In time, the whale becomes ‘part of the sand and the rocks of that beach, and part of all the people there’. The man and his new family ultimately returning to his original home.

The text is printed in three parallel versions: Noongar, a literal English translation, and a translation into everyday English.

• _{Teachers’ notes available from UWA Publishing}
• _{Awards: APA Book Design Awards, Best Designed Children’s Series (winner, 2012)}

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Inspired by the author’s Tasmanian childhood, Storm Whale has an ‘olde world’ charm. A four-beat rhyme drives the story of three young sisters who, on a wet and blustery day, discover a stranded whale. From grey beginnings, Tanner’s illustrations gradually add more colour until the gloomy day and a restless, stormy night give way to a sunny morning.

Brennan challenges her readers with words that may be unfamiliar– listless, becalmed, harried, tempest, balm, fugitives – but Tanner’s pictures offer meaningful context and clues.

A beautifully told tale, fuelled by courage and despair, and resolving in hope and happiness.

• _{Teachers’ notes available from Allen & Unwin}
• _{Awards: Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Children’s Fiction Award (shortlisted, 2018), Queensland Literary Awards, Children’s Book Award (shortlisted, 2018), Kate Greenaway Medal (UK) (nominated, 2018)}

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Dr Pirotta’s scientifically accurate text combines with Metcalfe’s delicate pencil illustrations in this story of humpback whale migration along Australia’s east coast and on to Antarctica. The book includes details of the whales’ preparation for life in the Southern Ocean (e.g. putting on blubber), their food sources and the dangers faced en route. A glossary and maps provide additional detail.

• _{Teachers’ notes available from CSIRO}
• _{Awards: CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Eve Pownall Award (notable book, 2023)}

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Migaloo, a rare white humpback whale, was born in warm Queensland waters in the late 1980s. Wilson’s book charts Migaloo’s life journey, including sightings by humans. At the end of the book, an ‘About Migaloo’ section offers details on the whale’s annual migration, food, weight, size, song and skin pigmentation.

• _{Teachers’ notes available from Hachette}
• _{Awards: Royal Zoological Society of NSW Whitley Award, Children’s Illustrated (commended, 2016)}

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In 2010, a southern right whale was born in the waters of Tasmania’s Derwent River, the first time such a birth had been recorded in over 190 years. That event inspired author Christina Booth to write Welcome Home in which a young boy absorbs, via messages from a living whale, the painful reality of whaling’s past. He then glimpses the possibility of new beginnings and safety for future generations of whales.

A double-page spread at the end of the book provides more information on southern right whales.

• _{Listen to the author, Christina Booth, reading the story}
• _{Teachers’ notes available from Ford Street}
• _{Awards: The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children’s Literature, Picture Fiction (winner, 2014), Crystal Kite Award, Australian and New Zealand Division (finalist, 2014)}

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This book shares a ‘creation story that has been passed down for generations’. Those who came together to write the story of the Dunggiirr Brothers (Koala Brothers) wanted to ‘pass it on to future generations so that it is never forgotten and … is lived on Gumbaynggirr Country every day’ (Teachers’ notes). It is a story about inter-connectedness and inter-dependence.

The story, blending photography with hand-painted illustrations, offers a rich classroom resource, inviting readers to go on a journey into creation time when Gurruuja (the whale) sings a message of ‘love and respect for all living things’.

• _{Teachers’ notes available from Allen & Unwin}
• _{Listen to the community share the story and memory of the Dunggiirr Brothers}
• _{Awards: Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Children’s Fiction (shortlisted, 2023), The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children’s Literature, Karajia Award (shortlisted, 2023), New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, Indigenous Writer’s Prize (shortlisted, 2023), New South Wales Premier’s History Prize New South Wales History Prize, Young People’s History Prize (winner, 2022), Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, Eight to 10 Years (shortlisted, 2022)}

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In 2005, 123 false killer whales became stranded in Geographe Bay, Western Australia. Conservation officers, with the help of over 1,000 locals, successfully refloated all but one. Wilson tells the story of this event through the eyes of a young boy who assists in the rescue.

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This excellent non-fiction title offers children clearly presented and accurate information on Australia’s many whale and dolphin species. There are sections on baleen, toothed, beaked and killer whales, and right whales. Each section includes an ‘In Focus’ page on a particular whale (e.g. the sperm whale in the toothed whale section) detailing the whale’s size, conservation status, diet and more.

For independent readers

When children are ready for chapter books or longer fiction, and to sustain their interest in whales, try the following:

Links and Sources

• All books cited in this blog post were read at the National Library of Australia – a cultural institution that has my ongoing affection and gratitude.
• Reading Time, the journal of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, has reviewed some of the titles mentioned above. Search for ‘whales’ on the Reading Time website to find them.
• Most books listed in this blog post were in print at the time of writing; those few that were not can be searched out in public libraries or second-hand bookstores.