The Brave Little Whale

This beautiful picture book explores the lives and migration of a pod of humpback whales. The story is narrated by one of the pod members, Uki, a small, young whale. Uki is cared for by his grandpa, Yuka, who teaches him whale songs. Yuka also leads the pod to their summer feeding grounds in the cold polar seas. This year, though, it is different; Yuka is too old to make the journey. Uki is very sad to leave his grandpa behind but he follows new leader, Amka, as the pod sets out on their journey north.

Uki is scared without his grandpa but tries to be brave. There are plenty of dangers on the way: huge ships, storms, pollution and plastic rubbish – and then a pack of orcas attack. The whale pod is scattered and it is Uki who brings them back together with a song his grandpa taught him. All except Amka – he is tangled in a discarded fishing net. Once again, Uki’s singing saves the day – along with the surprising help of the orca pack. Everyone agrees that Uki is not only a brave little whale but should become the leader of the pod.

This is a work of faction. The whales are anthropomorphised but sensitively so and in a way that heightens empathy and enriches learning about the life of humpback whales. This learning is augmented further by helpful fact panels throughout the book giving explanatory information. Perhaps these could have been better positioned in places, but this is a very minor niggle in what is a book with many riches – from the colourful glory of the northern lights to the resonance of the whales’ names, which are Inuit in origin.

Manning acknowledges the contribution and collaboration of her father, Mick Manning, in creating this book. Lovers of his and Brita Granström’s non-fiction picture books will recognise his influence (and I should say I have worked on them in another life). However, through her poetic storytelling and atmospheric artwork, this relatively new author-illustrator clearly has a strong voice of her own, evoking the world of the humpback whale in a way that will capture children’s imaginations and also convey a powerful environmental message.