Charlie's Whale; Libby Gleeson, illustrated by Hannah Sommerville

Charlie loved everything about the sea. The seashells and seahorses, the sharks and the stingrays, the crabs and the crayfish. He loved the small waves that tickled his toes and the large waves that were great for surfing and that made the beach tremble as they crashed onto the sand. Best of all though were the whales. He dreams of the day he will see one but will his wish come true…

Charlie’s Whale is a beautifully told story filled with soft illustrations about one boy’s love for the ocean and his obsession with whales. My niece is currently obsessed with koalas and I saw so much of her in Charlie. Any child who is obsessed with an animal will relate to Charlie who spends every moment reading about whales, drawing whales, writing notes about whales and wishing for the day when he will get to see one in the wild.

His obsession is so pure and is filled with wonderful childhood innocence; seeing a whale in the stars, reading stories from his sea books and singing sea stories to his collection of cuddly sea toys, the clutching of his cuddly toy whale on a family visit to the aquarium, his time spent practicing at looking things that are far away when his mother tells him that a whale might be difficult to spot because it’ll be far away.

Like the whales that Charlie longs to see, this timeless picture book is majestic, elegant and will make the most wonderful of splashes into the lives of many children. Does he spot the elusive whale…well that would be telling.

With huge thanks to Hachette and Lothian for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended for 3+.