Lightburn’s beautiful artwork conveys the simple yet honest themes of loneliness and contentment, love and loss, which McFarlane uses to tell this calm and moving story of a lonely old man with little to look forward to except the yearly summer appearance of orca whales. That is until his daughter and granddaughter enter his life. The old man shares not only his routines in the garden and the forest with his granddaughter, but most importantly his love for the orca whales. When the old man passes away, the granddaughter and her mother take comfort in anticipating the summer appearance of the orca whales with who they believe the old man’s spirit rests. As a story that address the death of a loved one McFarlane and Lightburn’s tale is warm and moving, but the realism of loss is obscured by the emphasis placed on the orca whales as symbol for the old man’s rebirth. Waiting for the Whales can be enjoyed by children age four to seven.