Blue Whale: Volume 1

A nonfiction picture book, The Blue Whale draws children into the life and world of this enormous whale by situating facts within a familiar context that is fun and engaging. Here, readers are given the actual size of an eye right on the page, and we are informed how understand this whale’s body size in relation to trucks, cars, milk bottles, and hippos! With an accurate and engaging text, fully vetted by a blue whale expert, and lyrically lovely illustrations, The Blue Whale is a book that invites children in and holds their attention. Its tempo is like a pleasing melody, which means that the information never becomes too weighty or exhausting–a key thing when it comes to young readers and their enjoyment of a book!

A graduate of the renowned MA children’s book illustration program at the Cambridge School of Art (ARU), Jenni Desmond works from her studio in London, England. She uses collage, paint, and pencil crayons to create her artwork, which she then scans and edits by computer. Jenni strives to make her illustrations entertaining, beautiful, and funny in equal measure. Her first picture book Red Cat Blue Cat (Blue Apple Books, 2012) won the Cambridgeshire Read it Again Picture Book Award 2013, and she has shown her artwork in many exhibitions in the United Kingdom, including the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition.