Simply beautiful - tender, heartfelt and hopeful with such crystal-clear storytelling. . . Rio and White Beak's story will stay with me for a long time' Sophie Kirtley, author of The Wild Way Home The Lost Whale has a strong environmental message and an atmosphere aided by the striking illustrations of Levi Pinfold, which help the story come to life, just as it did in the previous collaboration between author and illustrator in The Last Bear. Similar to the message in The Last Bear, it's just something very simple. Imagine if every single one of us did one thing. This doesn't need to be something huge- like single-handedly rescuing a polar bear or going off on a dangerous expedition to find a missing whale. Small, thoughtful, considerate day to day actions are just as impactful. So, it could be cutting down on your meat consumption, buying less stuff, using ocean-friendly suntan lotion, using less plastic etc. Keep making those small changes and you'll make a big difference. The seaside town that is to be his home for the next four weeks is a tourist spot for whale watchers. After making a friend called Marina he begins to learn about the grey whale, and the whale in his mum’s drawing. This whale is called White Beak. A photo of his mum on a whale watching boat shows her how she used to be. Beaming with happiness and love – White Beak was “her” whale.

After reading her first book, The Last Bear, I was desperate to read Hannah's second novel to my class. I found The Lost Whale slightly shorter and easier to read, it seemed, and would be better suited to my LKS2 cohort. Like The Last Bear, The Lost Whale is illustrated by Levi Penfold. What do you think of his illustrations - any stand-out moments? What are you writing currently - and can we expect a similar environmental thread in your next novel?

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It isn't only a environmental conscious narrative, but with its cadence to deal with hard topics in family dynamics - such as how parent's mental health affects the child deeply -, I can tell you Hannah Gold has written something quite unique and relatable to all of us. Alongside painting, Levi writes stories in his spare time. Since graduating from university in 2006, Levi has worked as a self employed illustrator. The Django (Templar Publishing) his debut picture book, is inspired by Levi's love of music. Levi lives and works in Cornwall, and plays banjo and guitar when no one else is looking. Levi won The Book Trust Early Years Award in the Best Emerging Illustrator Category for 2010.

A Big Roarsome Hello! Grab yourself some peanut butter, a pot of hot chocolate and make yourself at home. I am the author of THE LAST BEAR, a middle-grade adventure story for animal lovers - the WINNER of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize & the Blue Peter Book Awards 2022! My 2nd book, THE LOST WHALE is now out in the UK, Australia & NZ and the US. From the author of the bestselling The Last Bear comes another engrossing tale that blends ecological awareness with deftly plotted adventure' Waterstones, Books of the Year 2022 Let's start like this. If the stars went from -5 to 5, I would give it -10. If the only thing keeping me from going to hell was a good rating and review of this book, I would suffer eternal torment. If God himself told me this was the best book in the world, I would laugh at him. There is nothing good about it.

Fact one - which I have already mentioned - is that the grey whale has twice been hunted right to the brink of extinction. But as a sign of their forgiveness, the grey whale is still incredibly curious about humans despite everything we have done to them. They will often swim right up to the boat and even allow you to pet them. This is why they are also known as "the friendly whale”.

By the author of the stunning novel The Last Bear, The Lost Whale is just as heart wrenching about a child and an animal. These children have had to make tough grown-up decisions, and stand up for what they have come to love, and even put their own selves at risk for beautiful creatures.I'd like to say I do lots of exciting, brave and adventurous things. But mostly you can find me curled up on the sofa reading, exercising in the local park or sitting in a coffee shop in town. When I have more free time, one of my favourite things to do is go away for the weekend and visit the seaside. Perfect for readers of 8+, beautifully illustrated throughout by Levi Pinfold - winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal and illustrator of Harry Potter 20th anniversary edition covers. About This Edition ISBN: Rio debe viajar a California para quedarse con su abuela, a quien apenas conoce, porque su madre es ingresada en el hospital. Allí, lo único que consigue hacerlo un poco feliz es su nueva amiga, Marina, y las ballenas, que siente que lo conectan a su madre, y más aún cuando reconoce a Morro Blanco, la ballena que su madre no dejaba de dibujar, y con la que forjará un vínculo indestructible.

One of the areas you cover in the story are the effects of parental depression on a child; why did you want to explore this, and where did you go to research depression? Luna, as a male orca, would have had to mate if he survived. However, he was never around other orcas, so that chance would never have come. Not only that, but male killer whales also learn how to mate by practicing with each other or within their pods (no, it is not like that). Luna could not do that, so his chances of mating are lowered. When he matured, he could have become dangerous out of frustration. This puts surrounding board and people in danger, as he might take it out on them. Yes, he was a friendly calf, but he was not yet mature. A raíz de eso, la soledad y la conexión con otras personas (y seres) también son un tema prevalente en el libro.

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The author's passion for the natural world currently under threat makes their book outstanding' New Statesman, Best Children's Books of the Year Tratando el tema de la depresión, de la soledad, de la infancia y la familia, de cómo un niño hace todo lo que puede, o lo que cree que puede hacer, para salvar a su madre, lo mucho que la quiere y lo mucho que la necesita. Y todo sin olvidar el tema de la naturaleza, del cuidado de los animales, del problema de la contaminación y del cambio climático, y cómo todos podemos ayudar de cierta manera. Ha sido una lectura redonda que me ha cautivado. Firstly, I hope it raises awareness of ocean conservation, in particular the plight of the whales. And that if we all work together by taking part on group conservation causes (as per the Happywhale database in the book) then we can make a difference. Before finding an agent and publisher, I did a variety of different things - from being a gym coach (albeit a not particularly fit one!), to working on a magazine, running online courses, being a copywriter and even a brief stint in film and television. All of this was great experience for me in terms of gaining confidence in myself as a person and my abilities. Confidence is not always an innate thing but is, I believe, something which can be learned. Big thank you to Books Are My Bag for sending me this as part of the Children’s Fiction Shortlist for the Indie Book Awards!*