“Once upon a time,” Lilly’s grandmother says, “the ocean was filled with whales. They were as big as the hills. They were as peaceful as the moon . . . .”

Lilly loves hearing the story of the whales her grandmother loved when she was a little girl. Grandmother tells her about bringing a gift for the whales, and, in return, once or twice the whales sang for her.

Great-uncle Frederick scoffs at Grandmother’s stories, insisting they are nonsense. But Lilly dreams of the whales and in her dreams, the whales are as large as mountains and as blue as the sky. In her dream, the whales sing with voices like the wind. They leap from the water and call Lilly’s name.

In the morning, Lilly goes down to the ocean and walks to the end of the old pier. She has a gift for the whales. She drops a yellow flower into the water and calls out, “This is for you.”

And then she waits for the whales.

Is Great-uncle Frederick right, that it’s all nonsense? Or will the whales come, just the way they did for Grandmother? Or will the whales come, just as they did for Grandmother?

Will Lilly ever hear the whales call her name?

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Young readers, ages four through eight, preschool through primary grades, are the target audience for this captivating picture book. With their atmospheric qualities, the illustrations bring Lilly’s story to life.

Enriched by the exquisite paintings of Lilly and her family, of the ocean, of the moonlight, and of the whales, this ethereal homage to the magic of fairy tales come true is borne on a song of a whale. Here the young reader sees the promise of a whispered dream realized. The beauty of the illustrations and Lilly’s poignant story combine to make this a book young readers are sure to ask to hear again and again.

Highly recommended. ( )

This story follows Lilly as her grandmother tells her fantastic tales of whales. When her grandmother was young, she used to wait on the beach for the whales, bringing them presents like pretty shells and waiting to hear them sing. Lilly's grandfather scolds the two women and chides them to talk about real things, like how whales are killed for meat an oil. Later that day, Lilly herself waits for the whales and is rewarded at night when she gets to hear them sing. ( )

A young girl and her grandmother share a moment before the girl goes to bed. The grandmother tells the young girl of tales of creatures of the ocean and of the whale. As the little girl falls asleep, she begins to form the images that her grandma shaped in her head from her stories. The girl is on a beach, and soon with the whale, just like her grandma told her about. ( )

Watercolors could be used in an art class. The story is of a connection between young and old, a girl and whales. Harmony. ( )

Similar in theme to her other picture book, Under the Moon, with beautiful paintings. Sheldon's protagonists in both are children who are trying to connect to the past and/or with nature. ( )