The Boy and the Whale — Mordicai Gerstein

A boy and his father discover a whale tangled in their only fishing net. Is the whale dead? While the man worries about losing their net, the boy worries about the whale. He remembers the fear he felt when, caught in a net himself in childhood, he almost drowned before being rescued by his father. When the whale blinks an enormous eye, the boy knows that he has to try to save the creature, no matter how dangerous doing so may be.

Expressive and perfectly paced, this powerful story by Caldecott Medal-winner Mordicai Gerstein was inspired in part by a real-life video of a whale's rescue, and the creature's joyful dance through the waves after being freed.