The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold is a fantastic book. It follows Rio, who is sent to California to live with his grandmother, whilst his mum is having treatment for an illness. When he arrives, he really doesn’t want to be there. But he soon becomes interested in blue whales, one in particular, called White Beak. Can he help White Beak and can he make his mum better again?
This story touches on important topics, like the human impact on the environment, friendship, and illness. Hannah Gold in her book makes it clear both the majesty of grey whales but also how we can and are endangering creatures.
The characters in the book are likeable and well rounded. I also thought that Hannah didn’t skirt around topics like family illness or the impact we have on animal’s lives. However, she did talk about them in an honest yet child friendly way.
I would highly recommend The Lost Whale to all children and their parents, not just nature lovers. The illustrations by Levi Pinfold, accompany the story beautifully.
This is one of her standalone books. I haven’t read her others but recently attended a talk at the Bath Festival which has inspired me to keep reading!
Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Comment below!
Check out some of my other reviews here:
- Peter Bunzl’s Cogheart
- Lesley Parr’s The Valley of Lost Secrets
- Or some of my picture book reviews, like ones about reading for pleasure, books about mindfulness for children, as well as many others!