I loved the illustrations, but the text did not strike me as especially moving. It had the appearance & attitude of a whimsical-and-yet-so-true work, but it didn't really strike me as true; the suggestions and observations bore no resemblance whatsoever to any whale-watching experience I have ever had in a lifetime of living on or near the coast, whether from a window, pier, or boat. Okay, after a discussion today, I get that I am being too literal, and that reading this aloud to kids does work. Perhaps I was too judgmental to accept the suspension of reality, and perhaps I could re-read it as a metaphor or with more humor... Another "like it, don't love it" story. It's a cute story about being patient, and not being distracted other interesting things. The illustrations are soft pastels ( not sure of technique--linoleum block maybe)', like others by this team, but I think other books have been stronger (and then it's spring comes to mind). However the pictures can't carry the story by themselves, and I wonder why several spreads have background on only one side. That feels disjointed to me. Likin' it , not loving it.
Do You like book If You Want To See A Whale (2013)?
Gorgeous illustrations. Patient and focused story.
—catfondue
