And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness & Rovina Cai

 

I have to admit it's the cover of this one that caught my eye. It's almost a picture book, but it's definitely not aimed at little kids. If I had run into this when I was a tween in my brief fascinated-with-whales phase this one would have hit hard. The illustrations absolutely deserve some credit here, for helping to carry the sheer impact of the story.

There is a certain amount of simplicity to the plot idea at work here, it's a retelling of Moby Dick from the perspective of the whales, which is to say the whales hunt humans in return. With harpoons strapped to their bodies, pods of sperm whales form hunting parties with a clear hierarchy and a goal of fighting back against the mythical 'Toby Wick' who terrorizes the seas.

The story is told from the perspective of one of the hunter whales, Bathsheba, and when she encounters a real live human and he is not the monster she expected, she has to confront the long held ideas of her people.

Maybe not a super complicated idea, but powerfully and poetically written and beautifully illustrated.

The message is meaningful, the text is lovely and the illustrations are magnificent. It's not an especially long read, but it is definitely worth your time.