Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale?

Aimed at a preschool audience, this picture book takes readers on an expedition along an ocean coast. Along the way, they meet a variety of animals within its habitat. Using a rhyming couplet for each animal, Woodward introduces readers to diverse types of wildlife including seals, whales, seagulls, eagles, oyster catchers and many others. Children are also encouraged to imagine sensory situations such as experiencing freezing north winds, sitting on a sun warmed rock and smelling campfire smoke.

Woodward uses a conversational questioning style that encourages participation, and each double page spread invites readers to ponder the particular animal or situation depicted in the illustration. The artwork, mainly in dark blues and greys with contrasting areas of bright colours, is attractive and whimsical, and the accompanying text is clear and readable. The couplets are humorous, lighthearted and involving, but the meter and rhyme in some is a bit of a stretch. The book involves readers’ senses and imagination and encourages children’s awareness of nature and to be aware of the moment.

Prefaced with a plea for the protection of oceans for all, Have You Ever Heard a Whale Exhale? is a handy interactive title for children in a group story time or for a one-on-one sharing experience.